New job opportunities for Irish professionals decreased 22 per cent last month, according to the latest Morgan McKinley Irish employment monitor.

The research found that the number of new professional job openings declined from 8,704 in November to 6,785 in December, a decrease of 22 per cent.

Year on year, the number of professional roles available in Ireland declined 1 per cent from 6,861 in December 2012 to 6,785 last month.

Meanwhile, the number of professionals seeking new job opportunities fell by 23 per cent from 7,320 in November to 5,658 last month.

This was also a decline (6 per cent) when compared to the 6,000 people seeking new career opportunities during the same month last year.

Karen O’Flaherty, chief operations officer at Morgan McKinley, said December is typically a quieter month for job activity and candidate availability.

“Employers are more budget and decision sensitive in terms of headcount at the end of the year or awaiting confirmation of forecasts and plans in the new year. Job seekers equally are less active and more risk averse as the holiday season approaches. This explains why the hiring and job seeker figures are lower compared to previous months in the year.”

Looking at 2013 in its entirety, Morgan McKinley noted a return to more traditional job titles such as mortgage underwriter and commercial lender signalling a demand for certain key skills, not seen since the start of the economic downturn.

Furthermore, it said there are more opportunities for mid to senior-level roles showing that businesses are willing to hire and pay for more senior and executive professionals than in previous years.