The number of professional jobs increased by 39% in January on December, according to the latest Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor.

The monitor also reveals a 37% increase year-on-year from January last year and was the highest number of new jobs recorded since October 2008.

Meanwhile, the month also saw a 23% increase in the number of professionals entering the jobs market month-on-month.

Karen O’Flaherty, chief operations officer, Premier Group Ireland, says: “January 2011 saw a significant increase in new professional job opportunities coming onto the market compared to the previous month and compared to same time last year.

“It is worth noting that this rebound, although positive, was from a particularly low December 2010 volume caused by disruptive weather events, the government’s EU/IMF bail-out announcement in late November 2010 and other seasonal factors.

“Economic indicators and anecdotal evidence from employers do however point towards a more positive start to the year for the professional jobs market. Job creation is firmly on the agenda in the lead up to the General Election and the feeling is that there is greater visibility with regard to potential hiring plans across H1 2011 in certain pockets of the professional jobs market than there was at the start of 2010.”