The total number of technology jobs advertised online increased in the fourth quarter of 2011 in areas such as Dublin, Cork and Galway, according to the Irishjobs.ie Jobs Index.
The index found that in total, the number of jobs across all industries advertised during this quarter was down from the previous one, but the number of jobs in IT increased.
“Just below 200,000 people have now been unemployed for more than a year,” said Dr Stephen Kinsella, a lecturer in economics at the University of Limerick and the author of the report.
“With so much apparent doom and gloom, where are the jobs in Ireland and where are they likely to come from? The short answer is technology.
“The Jobs Index figures for the stronger jobs categories reflect the IDA’s recent announcement of 13,000 new jobs created across 148 investments in export-oriented and high-technology companies,” he said.
Other industries also increased the number of jobs advertised online. The transport industry saw a 30pc increase in jobs advertised since the last quarter, the tourism industry saw a 23pc increase and the telecoms industry saw a 21pc increase. Security also made gains during this quarter, increasing by 11pc.
Job vacancies which fell between the third and fourth quarters were seen in industries such as accountancy and finance, down 22pc, beauty and hair care, down 15pc, medical professionals and healthcare, down 15pc, and engineering and utilities, down 19pc.
“Once demand for job advertisements begins to fall it is a sign that employers are operating more cautiously in response to tougher conditions,” said Kinsella.
“They focus on cash flow protection and work to keep those already employed in jobs, not expansion. Our index shows that relative to the peak of jobs advertised in the second quarter of 2011, in the fourth quarter, job advertisements are down over 21pc,” he said.
