A FAS/ESRI Employment and Vacancies Survey for September 2007 has revealed a 3 per cent increase in reported vacancies in the construction sector, rising to a total of 8 per cent this year.

Year-on-year, however, vacancies have fallen by 4 per cent.

The construction sector employers' employment outlook has deteriorated considerably, suggesting that the improvement that took place in the previous month was merely a monthly fluctuation.

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The Net Employment Expectations indicator for the sector was -18%.

The most frequently reported difficult-to-fill vacancies are Quantity Surveyors and Managers.

Economy-wide vacancies increased slightly, with 14 per cent of firms in the private sector reporting vacancies compared to 12 per cent in August.

The increase in economy-wide vacancies was driven by an increase in reported vacancies in the construction, industry and services sectors.

(GK/SP)