Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 4 Nov 1999

Vol. 510 No. 2

Written Answers. - Job Vacancies.

Cecilia Keaveney

Question:

58 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the level of job vacancies experiencing difficulty in being filled and the sectors within which these arise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22020/99]

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ms Harney)

The table below – Table 1 – contains the number and percentage of vacancies by occupational group, ranked in order of the percentage of vacancies to employment, taken from the most recently published – 1999 – ESRI national survey of private sector vacancies. It shows that there were 53,000 vacancies, equivalent to 6% of the vacancy-to-employment ratio at the time of the survey in Autumn 1998. This table indicates that the greatest proportionate vacancies were among computer engineers and professionals and associate professionals. Another very significant category of vacancy was skilled maintenance and production workers – craftspersons.

Where firms had difficult-to-fill vacancies they were asked which was the single type of vacancy most difficult to fill. The most commonly cited occupational group was skilled tradespersons – 21% – with clerical – 11% – the next most commonly mentioned. This number one ranking for skilled tradespersons applied to both traditional and high-tech manufacturing and to both large and small firms in these sectors. However, in large high-tech manufacturing firms, engineers – 20% – managers – 15% –and computer specialists – 11% – were also frequently ranked as most difficult-to-fill. Computer specialists were the most difficult to fill for finance/ insurance/business services companies.

Table 1: Number & Percentage of Vacancies by Occupational Group

Occupational Group	Vacancies	%Vacancies/Employment
Computer Associate Professionals	1,400	16
Computer Professionals	1,600	15
Engineering Professionals	1,700	11
Engineering Associate Professionals	1,500	11
Science Associate Professionals	700	11
Security	900	11
Skilled Maintenance / Production	8,100	9
Personal Services	4,300	8
Science Professionals	200	7
Sales	7,900	7
Labourers	3,500	5
Transport, Communications	3,100	5
Production Operatives	8,400	5
Clerical, Secretarial	6,800	5
Other Professional	800	3
Other Assoc. Professionals	700	2
Managers, Proprietors	1,900	2
Total	53,600	6

(Source: National Survey of Vacancies in the Private Non-Agricultural Sector 1998, ESRI 1999)

The National Action Plan for Employment 1999 sets out a comprehensive range of actions addressing the challenges in our labour market including, for example, the range of fiscal and structural labour market policies aimed at ensuring an adequate supply of appropriately skilled labour to meet the demands of the economy.