Forecast Points to Some Rays of Sunshine for Irish Jobseekers after Six Years of Cloudy Weather:

15th March 2014

A more encouraging hiring pace expected in Q2 2014.

Manpower, the leader in contingent and permanent innovative workforce solutions, today releases the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. The Net Employment Outlook stands at +2% for Quarter 2 2014. 2008 was the last time Ireland saw such positive hiring. This was the year Apple introduced IPhone 3G and the App Store, Bertie Ahern stepped down as Taoiseach and Padraig Harrington won the USA PGA Championship. Seems like prehistoric times doesn’t it? Six years later and in Q2 2014 we are witnessing a long-awaited uptick in hiring prospects.

The following points highlight some of the key findings:

• A seasonally adjusted New Employment Outlook for 2Q 2014 of +2 % represents the first positive employer forecast since 2Q 2008.
• Payrolls are expected to grow in seven of the 11 industry sectors and four of the five regions during 2Q 2014. When compared with the previous quarter, the Outlook improves in nine sectors and all five regions. In a year-over-year comparison, hiring prospects are stronger in 10 sectors as well as all five regions.
• The busiest sector labour market is forecast by Pharmaceutical sector employers who report a Net Employment Outlook of +14% for the upcoming quarter. Hiring prospects strengthen by 12 and 15 percentage points from 1Q 2014 and 2Q 2013, respectively.
• Employers in The Transport, Storage and Communication Sector alongside The Wholesale & Retail Trade Sector report the least optimistic hiring plans with Outlooks of -4%. Despite this negative outlook employers in both sectors are reporting improved hiring plan when compared with the previous quarter.
• From a regional perspective, Munster employers report the most optimistic hiring plans. The Outlook of +6% is the strongest since 2Q 2008 reflecting considerable increases of 11 percentage points quarter-over-quarter and 10 percentage points year-over-year.
• Dublin employers report the weakest regional Outlook (-5%) although hiring plans are 3 and 2 percentage points stronger from 1Q 2014 and 2Q 2013, respectively.

“We are seeing a noteworthy improvement in the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey figures for Q2 2014. This is the first positive outlook since 2008 which is a very hopeful sign for Irish jobseekers” said Cara O’Leary, Sales Director, Manpower Ireland “Recent job announcements made by Aspen Pharma and BioMarin Manufacturing Ireland highlight employer confidence in the pharmaceutical and manufacturing sectors and the opportunities that exist for people employed or previously employed in these sectors”

The next Manpower Employment Outlook Survey will be released on 10 June to report hiring expectations for the third quarter of 2014. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is available free of charge to the public and can be downloaded from www.manpower.ie.

Results for all 42 countries can be viewed in the new interactive Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Explorer tool at http://manpowergroupsolutions.com/DataExplorer/.

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