Ireland's recruitment boom looks set to continue this year after the number of jobs advertised in newspapers rose 84 per cent in January from the previous month.
About 19,000 job advertisements were placed in national daily and Sunday newspapers, according to the latest Bank of Ireland Business Banking Job Index. The figure was the third-highest since September, 2004.
Higher demand for labour last month was mainly fuelled by the financial sector, where the number of job adverts increased 66 per cent.
The gain may be indicative of a recovery in the sector after recruitment declined in November and December, Bank of Ireland said.
"High growth in funds management and administration in Ireland is a contributory factor to the increasing level of job advertisements within this sector," said Cathal Muckian, director of Bank of Ireland Business Banking.
Recruitment in manufacturing continued to rebound, with the number of jobs advertised rising by 26 per cent - the second consecutive monthly gain.
About 62 per cent of manufacturers expect their financial circumstances to improve in the next 12 months, according to a recent survey of 1,500 businesses by Bank of Ireland.
Mr Muckian attributed higher recruitment in manufacturing to the increase "in the level of overseas orders, arising in a need to recruit additional workers in order to support increased production and output".
However, the number of job advertisements declined in the leisure, IT, healthcare and professional sectors, leaving the total January figure 6 per cent lower than the same period a year earlier. As a result, Bank of Ireland predicted that employment growth in 2006 may not match the 5 per cent gain of last year.
