Fewer jobs were left vacant across Ireland last month, new figures revealed today.
The Fás/ESRI employment and vacancies survey for May said the decrease in economy-wide positions was predominately driven by a drop in jobs in the construction and services sectors.
The percentage of firms reporting positions in the private sector fell by 3 per cent.
Reported vacancies in the construction sector fell by four percentage points to 6 per cent, the lowest rate in the sector since June 2006. Firms reporting positions in the services sector fell by six percentage points to 19 per cent.
For the fourth consecutive month, posts to be filled in the industry sector remained unchanged at 15 per cent, while reported vacancies in the retail sector increased slightly to 2 per cent.
The most difficult-to-fill vacancies in each sector were: quantity surveyors and managers in construction; engineers, managers, operatives and sales staff in industry; sales personnel and pharmacists in retail; and managers and drivers in services.