Half Of Employers Know Little Of Government Jobs Plan

July 11, 2012 - PRLog -- Some 95 per cent of employers that are hiring, will recruit from Ireland
85 per cent of employers have hired staff in the past 12 months
Four out of 10 have hired from outside Ireland in the past 12 months
One in four jobseekers is planning to emigrate this year

Almost half (44 per cent) of Irish employers know very little about the Government’s “Jobs Action Plan” while one in 10 has never even heard of the JobBridge scheme for internships. These were among the findings of research conducted by Hays, the world’s leading recruitment experts in qualified, professional and skilled people, who surveyed 477 employers and 545 jobseekers and employees across Ireland.

When it comes to jobseekers and employees, the lack of awareness is much more pronounced with two thirds (64 per cent) unaware of the “Action Plan for Jobs”. However, three quarters of them (83 per cent) have heard of the JobBridge programme. The research also showed 60 per cent of employers would consider taking an intern from the JobBridge Programme and 16 per cent already have. Other positive news is that one fifth of employers (20 per cent) would like to hire staff with aid from the Government’s Action Plan For Jobs while 14 per cent already have.

Over half of the jobseekers and employees we surveyed (55 per cent) said they are studying or training to change their career. The good news is, nine out of ten employers (90 per cent) would hire someone who has completed a skills conversion course, with 88 per cent happy to take someone from a Government funded course.

Richard Eardley, the managing director of Hays Ireland, said: “It’s interesting to note that, although there was a lot of media coverage when the Government launched their Action Plan for Jobs, a lot of people don’t know anything about it. What’s more encouraging is the profile JobBridge has gained and the current attitude to skills conversion.”

Hays’ regular Workplace Optimism research is a barometer of confidence amongst employers, staff and jobseekers. When asked when they will hire again 24 per cent of employers said they are looking to hire immediately and 23 per cent stated that they were looking to recruit in the next six months.

When it comes to benefits, 76 per cent of employers feel more confident now than 12 months ago to give their employees an increase in benefits, whilst 66 per cent are more confident about giving pay rises and 51 per cent would consider promotions. The employees are also more confident with 67 per cent now asking for an increase in benefits, 57 per cent looking for a pay rise and 53 per cent seeking a promotion.

“This is really positive news coming back from the workplace. Even though we still have uncertainty around the banks and the Eurozone, the message is that people are gaining more confidence. Also, 64 per cent of people in work said they are looking for a new job, which is really encouraging news for the economy,” said Eardley.

Other points of note from the survey were that 10 per cent of employers hired from outside the EU and 30 per cent from across the EU in the past 12 months, but 95 per cent intend to hire from Ireland in the coming 12 months. From a jobseekers’perspective, 25 per cent intend to leave the country to look for work this year in comparison to 33 per cent in October 2010. Countries that have seen the most dramatic increase in popularity are Canada and Australia.

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About Hays:
Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in  permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 31 December 2011, the Group employed 7,988 staff operating from 247 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2011:

– the Group reported net fees of £672 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £114 million;
– the Group placed around 60,000 candidates into  permanent jobs and around 190,000 people into temporary assignments ;
– 31% of Group net fees were generated in  Asia Pacific, 33% in Continental Europe & RoW (CERoW) and 36% in the United Kindom &  Ireland;
– the temporary placement business represented 54% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 46% of net fees;
– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland,  Italy, Japan,  Luxembourg,  Malasya, Mexico, the  Netherlands,  New Zealand, Portugal,  Russia,  Singapore,  Spain,  Sweden,  Switzerland,  UAE,  the UK and the USA.


For further press information or to set up an interview please contact:
Tom McEnaney
T. 087 2222 666
E. tom@tommcenaney.com

Or

Stephen Flanagan
Hays
T. 01 897 2481
M. 085 803 1199
E. stephen.flanagan@hays.com