Jobs market recovery still has a way to go despite recent growth
Media Release
22 January 2010
The Department of Labour has welcomed a 5.0 % increase in the number of advertisements for skilled jobs in the three months to December 2009.
The information comes from Jobs Online, the Department’s new database for monitoring job vacancies advertised on the Internet.
Acting Deputy Secretary of Work Directions Dr Dafydd Davies says whilst the figure is encouraging, there is still some way to go in terms of labour market recovery. “The total number of vacancies advertised in the three months to December 2009 was 23% lower than it was in the same period a year earlier. This is further evidence that even when economic conditions in some sectors are starting to improve, many employers are still seeking to achieve higher output from existing employees through increased hours before they consider taking on new staff.”
He says most industries have had a rebound in job advertisements in recent months, although they have continued to fall in construction and engineering.
However, the education and training sector has run counter to the trend with vacancies rising throughout the recession, but falling since mid-2009.
ENDS.