Business group Ibec has said 5,030 new jobs were announced during the first three months of this year.

It noted there were large sectoral divergences in the labour market, with the number employed in IT rising by more than 7 per cent, those in forestry, fishing and farming by more than 12 per cent, and those in technical and scientific activities by more than 6 per cent.

On the other hand, the number employed in industry fell by 3 per cent, in construction by 4.3 per cent, and in transport by just under 4 per cent.

The group found that unemployment fell by 6.1 per cent, or 19,200, in the year to the fourth quarter of 2012, with the total number of unemployed now standing at 294,600.

However, the report noted that a reduction of 18,000 in the labour force was the primary reason for this, with the fall being due to emigration and a rise in the number of those no longer seeking employment.

Ibec called for retraining and education to be prioritised to avoid a skills mismatch for vacancies in the future, when the jobs market recovers.