Employment in 2010 is set to fall by 87,000 on last year's average, and will decline by a further 11,000 in 2011 according to the latest labour market survey by Fás.
The State agency said that the unemployment rate will peak at about 13.5 per cent in late 2010, below previous forecasts of 16 per cent. However, it said it is too early to say whether the apparent stabilisation in the unemployment rate that took place in recent months will persist.
The latest quarterly survey shows that manual workers and craftspeople have been hardest hit in terms of job losses, with unemployment in these groups rising to 25 per cent or more in 2009. In contrast, the unemployment rate for professional occupations remains below 5 per cent.
The construction sector has been particularly hard hit, with the unemployment rate for manual or crafts-based jobs in the construction sector reaching 30 per cent. Meanwhile, the jobless rate for managers and professionals closely linked to construction has risen to over 13 per cent.
Labour force participation among teenagers and those in the 20-24 age-bracket reduced sharply during this period. According to Fás this reflects postponement of entry to the labour force.
The number of apprenticeships offered by employers also fell sharply in the period. The number of new apprentices recruited by employers fell by 59 per cent in 2009, with construction-related apprentices down 69 per cent.
Some 80,000 people participated in FáS-supported training programmes in 2009, while a further 26,000 were still in training at the end of the year.
