February saw a drop in the number of new professional jobs in Ireland, according to research from the Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor.

The monitor reveals:

• the number of new professional jobs fell 2% in February 2011, compared to January 
• this number was still up 26% year-on-year from February 2010
• the month also saw a slight month-on-month fall (3%) in the number of professionals entering the jobs market
• there was also a significant decrease (58%) in the number of new professional jobseekers in February compared to the same time last year.

Karen O’Flaherty, chief operations officer, Premier Group Ireland, says: “After an extremely challenging few years, we are seeing a revival in hiring from SMEs. The formation of the new coalition Government in Ireland will signify a new start for many of these companies, and will hopefully lead to a more stable and visible business landscape.

“February also marked the ‘return of the counter offer’, another indicator that specific talent is in high demand. There were increasing instances of companies using remuneration offers to outbid each other to retain or attract key professionals. This trend was particularly noticeable in the IT and technical hiring markets, where skills shortages are being felt most acutely.

“Demand for IT professionals, particularly those with experience in design and development, has been extremely high over the last 12 months and we are continuing to see skills deficits in the areas of Java and .Net.

“In response to this demand, we have launched a new IT division in our Limerick office. Drawing on the experience of our established IT teams in Cork and Dublin, this specialist division will service the Limerick, Galway and Mid-West areas.”