Business

NI job market remains 'buoyant' as vacancies grow

The majority of job categories experienced a growth in vacancies over the last quarter, with a 1.4 per cent increase recorded on the same period in 2016
The majority of job categories experienced a growth in vacancies over the last quarter, with a 1.4 per cent increase recorded on the same period in 2016 The majority of job categories experienced a growth in vacancies over the last quarter, with a 1.4 per cent increase recorded on the same period in 2016

THE Northern Ireland labour market remains "buoyant" according to new industry figures released by online recruiter NIJobs.com.

The latest quarterly survey from the website shows that the majority of job categories experienced a growth in vacancies - up 1.4 per cent on the same period last year.

The five top performing categories in the second quarter of the year were; IT, hospitality, engineering, sales and nursing, healthcare and medical - they account for 40 per cent of all roles available.

The construction sector is also growing, with a 6 per cent rise in the number of jobs advertised from the start of 2017 and 12 per cent growth year-on-year reported, with

quantity surveyors, site managers, project managers and civil engineers the most in demand.

Another trend is the demand for part time jobs, with well over a quarter of a million searches recorded by people looking for part time positions in the last 12 months.

Northern Ireland started the year on a high with official figures indicating a record number of private sector jobs which was reflected in the NIJobs survey for that period.

Despite a fall in the second quarter Sam McIlveen, general manager of NIJobs.com said the local labour market remains strong.

“It is very encouraging to see growth in the private sector, no doubt partly due to the important role that Invest NI and others play in funding and investing in start-ups here. We have noticed a steady growth in private sector recruitment online and now work with over 1200 companies across 30 different areas of business.”

The report compiles its data from a detailed analysis of online recruitment trends with clients. Many recognised companies have had strong recruitment drives in the second half of the year including; Moy Park, Terex, Almac, Dunbia, CDE Global, Citi, PwC, EY, Capita and Concentrix.

Reflecting on the figures Ulster Bank chief economist Richard Ramsey believes that the Northern Ireland jobs market remains "buoyant".

“The data does indicate a fall in some job listings for the quarter, which isn’t uncommon due to temporary or seasonal staff ramp ups for the summer period. But, there are also bigger contributing factors to support the latest statistics.

“The return of inflation has brought with it another squeeze on living standards. As far as consumer spending is concerned high rates of inflation is public enemy number one. Consumer sectors such as Retail and Hospitality will be sensitive to the changes on this front."

"That said, this follows a very strong 2016 and demand remains buoyant. Retail and Hospitality are areas to watch in the coming quarters. The extent, to which this weakness from the domestic market will be counter-balanced by Northern Ireland’s booming tourism sector, remains to be seen," he added.