June 5
Jobs
Within the space of a month we had more recruitment industry activity than ever before in Ireland. Irish National Recruitment Federation had its Annual conference, and you can read about it on Jobs Blog. Microsoft organised the Recruitment Conference and a Tuesday Club, and both those are reviewed on the same site.
2 out of 3 recruiters in Ireland have lost their jobs since the recession started. Only the bare bones of the recruitment industry actually still exists.
Smart economists use recruitment figures as a barometer of the economy. What has been happening in the last 9 months is that about 1% of the workforce is made redundant and does not find the new job, hence goes on the dole.
The current predictions of the unemployment we are going to have in Ireland vary from 14% to 17%. The current trend puts us steady on 12% sometime next week. 15% in September and 17% at the end of the year. So we should reach that worst case predictions before the end of 2009.
In the same time there is no one predicting any recovery to start happening in January 2010. In the same time we expect the unemployment to miraculously stop growing. The reality is that all the signs are that the unemployment growth rate is steady. The last 9 months more or less each decreased the workforce for 1%. All the signs today show that the same is to continue for at least the end of the year. We might enter 2010 with one in five unemployment rate.
In the same time there are thousands of jobs in Ireland. Literally. And recruiters are finding it hard to fill those jobs. Employers are expecting the highest quality candidates ever. The number of skills are still in extreme shortage in Ireland. In fact Google announced recently that they are pulling about 1000 jobs out of their Irish operation centre, simply because they have not been able to find people with skills they are looking for here.
If you are looking for a job today, get ready and get organised.
It is not going to be easy and it’s not going to be quick to get another job for the most. Prepare mentally for the wage drop. In the similar level to the house price drop, or even more in some industries.
Get your CV ready, go and look at the jobs available, and do not only send you CV to the employers, but do call them, talk to them and present yourself in your best. Remember – there really are thousands of jobs available today in Ireland!