The number of people searching for seasonal work is down by 24%.
Employers in Ireland are being warned that they may struggle to find seasonal staff over the busy Christmas period.
According to new data published by Indeed, while job postings have dropped by 2% from pre-pandemic levels, the number of people searching for these jobs is down by 24 %.
The change falls in line with a survey conducted by the site in October that shows that people are less likely to change jobs at the moment.
52% of respondents to the survey were not open to searching for a new job right now, whilst 27% were passively searching for one.
Only 8% of survey participants were actively and urgently looking for new employment, an increase of just 1% on three months ago.
A possible reason for the lack of demand for seasonal demand is an increase in savings over Covid, which gives jobseekers more time to select a role.
Data published by the CSO earlier this month shows that Irish household savings rose by €31 billion last year, thanks in part due to a reduction in spending during the pandemic.
Waiting until there were more job opportunities was the top reason for survey participants to change job.
Job postings on the site continue to increase, currently 49% higher than the start of February 2020 before the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jack Kennedy, economist for Indeed, warned employers they may need to increase wages to attract more people to seasonal work.
“With the rate of inflation now running at over 5%, as workers encounter higher prices for food, energy and other essentials combined with the supply and demand imbalance for workers, we have a cocktail of circumstances that will almost certainly put workers in a good position to seek pay increases next year.
“Employers with acute shorter term needs may need to bump pay in advance of next year to ensure that roles are filled.”
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