The Morgan McKinley Employment Monitor for December 2011 has found that 65pc of professional employers in Ireland plan to hire in 2012. The survey reveals that more than half of managers (58pc) expect their firms’ hiring levels to rise in 2012 compared to 2011, while just 6pc expect their hiring levels to decrease.

It was also found that there was an increase of 29pc in the number of professional job opportunities in December when compared with the same time last year. A 34pc year-on-year increase was also recorded in the number of new professional job vacancies registered in 2011.

Speaking about the Monitor, Karen O’Flaherty, Chief Operations Officer of Morgan McKinley Ireland said that while the financial services sector had a turbulent year, “restructuring and debt recovery specialists, qualified financial advisors and collections professionals were highly sought after and fixed term contracts featured heavily given the current flux in global financial markets.”

The Monitor surveyed nearly 600 operational and HR managers working for financial services, professional services, manufacturing and IT companies about their business confidence and hiring and remuneration trends.

To read the full report, click here.