Business

Jobs prospects on the up in north, survey finds

The automotive and tourism sectors are boosting the north's employment prospects
The automotive and tourism sectors are boosting the north's employment prospects The automotive and tourism sectors are boosting the north's employment prospects

THE jobs prospects for thousands of unemployed people in Northern Ireland is improving, according to a survey.

The latest employment outlook by recruitment specialists ManpowerGroup showed optimism for the first quarter of 2017 had moved into positive territory.

It said the automotive sector has driving the regions resurgence with hospitality roles also increasing due to a rise in tourist numbers.

After last quarter’s regional outlook slumped into negative territory (-1 per cent), job prospects in the north jumped five points this quarter to +4 per cent.

But Northern Ireland still lags well behind the UK-wide average of +7 per cent.

The survey is based on responses from thousands of UK employers and is used as a key economic statistic by both the Bank of England and the government.

Manpower operations manager Amanda White said the result of the EU referendum "has dented confidence among the region’s employers as we saw in last quarter’s fall into negative territory".

"At the moment there is still a lot of uncertainty about the region’s economic future, and we’re seeing some reluctance among candidates to move jobs. However, this quarter’s jump into positive territory is encouraging. We hope this will improve further in the New Year when the economic picture becomes clearer.”

“Demand for candidates in the automotive sector is rising, especially for vehicle mechanics and technicians. Candidates with experience in manufacturing and production, including factory workers and engineers, are also high on the wish-list for many employers in the region.”

And she said the north's growing tourism sector was also boosting employment prospects.

"We’ve seen a number of new hotels spring up, meaning there are lots of new opportunities in the hospitality and construction industries," added Ms White.

The UK-wide figure represented the highest level of optimism for two years.

The private sector plans to hire at its highest rate in three years (+8 per cent), with the construction (+9 per cent), business services (+9 per cent) and utilities (+13 per cent) sectors all reporting very positive outlooks.

Mark Cahill, ?ManpowerGroup UK managing director added: “UK companies are going into 2017 hungry for top talent. Employers are still unsure about what exactly Brexit will mean, but are not letting that uncertainty deter them from hiring.

"In fact, some employers may be looking to bring in talent while they can before any curbs to freedom of movement across the European Union come into effect, as more than half of all the jobs created by UK employers this year went to EU workers.”