Sunday Business Post - Recruitment section - September 13 2009
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By part-funding gap year style working trips around the world, the government could help recent graduates through the economic downturn and boost exchequer funds, according to the organiser of this year’s Working Abroad Expo.
Stephen McLarnon, managing director of expo organiser SGMC Group, which takes place later this month, called on the government to consider implementing a part-funded ‘pay-cation’ scheme to support younger job candidates with limited opportunities in the domestic labour market. Such a scheme would benefit the economy by building on the professional experience and skill-sets of younger candidates, and boosting the government’s coffers.
‘‘We are not advocating that the government completely fund a gap year, but offer a fund-matching system for those considering taking a gap year,” said McLarnon. ‘‘A gap-year matching scheme for under-25s, offering up to €5,000 per person within a 12-month period, would offer immediate savings to the growing social welfare bill, while also assisting young unemployed people to gain new experiences and return to Ireland with something to offer.
‘‘It would keep people active, which is crucial, and it would give people a taste of life in less-well-off countries.”
A similar government scheme, under consideration in Britain, is proposing to fund up to 500 participants in overseas development projects. Under the scheme, participants would be required to raise funding of stg£1,000 (€1,140) and pay for their own flights and vaccinations.
‘‘The fact that Britain is looking at something similar gives the concept credibility,” said McLarnon. ‘‘Similar precedents exist here in Ireland, with the ESB earlier this year taking on approximately 300 apprentice electricians to help them qualify. PwC has offered graduates €5,000 to defer their entry into the firm until 2010.”
If properly managed, McLarnon believes such a scheme could raise vital funds for the exchequer.
‘‘An unemployed person, under 30 years of age and currently receiving unemployment benefit, gets approximately €10,000 per annum,” he said. ‘‘A fund-matching system, capped at €5,000,would immediately save the exchequer €5,000 per person. The government could include a 12-month exclusion from receiving any further social welfare benefits for participants in the scheme.”
The British government is piloting a gap-year programme in association with Raleigh International, a charity specialising in voluntary overseas placements. An Irish equivalent could target Irish organisations with overseas connections, McLarnon said.
‘‘The Niall Mellon Township Trust has done a fantastic job in South Africa, but is now suffering with less available funds from volunteers,” he said. ‘‘The trust, the government and Fás could come together and use the project for training apprentice plumbers, electricians and brick-layers. It would get nearly qualified trades people off the dole, qualified under the instruction of qualified trades people who have also lost their job, while also doing something worthwhile."
‘‘NGOs such as Concern and Goal are being badly affected by cuts to their overseas aid budget,” McLarnon said. ‘‘Many of these organisations are laying off staff and closing centres in much needed areas. The government could again part-fund professionals to work with these organisations while diverting them from the ever-growing dole queues.”
McLarnon said that there had been a significant increase in the number of Irish people looking abroad for work in recent months.
‘‘The number of young people travelling overseas has seen a substantial jump over the last 12 months, with a 33 per cent increase - an extra 5,500 people - in those going to Australia on working holiday visas,” he said. ‘‘This takes the number currently in Australia on annual working holiday visas to a record high of over 22,000. Figures for Canada, New Zealand and other countries are not available, but the total number could easily exceed a further 20,000.”
Other destinations also offer employment opportunities, McLarnon said.
‘‘Opportunities exist all over the world. There is an aging population in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, so they have to import a huge amount of labour,” he said. ‘‘The US is experiencing its own unemployment issues, but parts of Latin America such as Brazil are enjoying some growth.
‘‘Canada has avoided much of the financial crises and is very much open for business. Britain is largely expected to come out of recession in the coming weeks, joining Germany and France.”
McLarnon said that the healthcare sector, in particular, offered global opportunities for skilled Irish candidates.
‘‘Health recruitment has bucked the trend globally, except in Ireland, where the HSE is not renewing contracts and a recruitment freeze largely remains in place,” he said. ‘‘With this in mind, we have 11 British NHS trusts exhibiting at our show in Dublin in our dedicated medical and nursing zone. It is widely known that there is a surplus of nurses in Ireland, with overseas employers queuing up to recruit them.”
There is also overseas demand for qualified Irish engineering and technology professionals, said McLarnon.
‘‘Fisher & Paykel, the big home-appliance manufacturers, are exhibiting at our Dublin show, looking for all the various different types of engineers, including automotive and quality assurance people, for New Zealand. People are starting to get back into R&D as the global economy revives,” he said.
Some candidates, who would otherwise head overseas in search of work, have unavoidable commitments in Ireland, McLarnon said.
‘‘Generally, individuals with a mortgage or young family will be less mobile. Those with mortgages in negative equity will be reluctant or unable to sell their properties,” he said. ‘‘Renting their property out is difficult, creating an economic trap for those that want or need to work abroad.”
McLarnon said candidates who had only just graduated had a tough time securing working visas for other countries.
‘‘Workplace experience is very important in getting working visas for Canada, Australia or New Zealand. People with a couple of years’ working experience are generally better placed to secure a visa,” he said.
Candidates with foreign language skills and travel experience are best placed to secure work overseas.
‘‘Huge opportunities exist in continental Europe for people with a second language. Having travelled before is not a biggie, but employers like to see people who have lived or worked abroad previously as, chances are, they will settle quicker,” said McLarnon.
Now in its fourth year, this month’s Working Abroad Expo will have more than 50 exhibitors, including government bodies, migration officials and recruitment agencies. Relocation experts will offer advice and assistance on starting a new life abroad.
‘‘These are undoubtedly challenging times, but opportunities do exist, and the Working Abroad Expo is designed to give people options, separate the myths from reality and give people the full facts, information, paperwork, contacts and job options they need for starting a better life abroad,” said McLarnon.
‘‘Employers and recruitment specialists will outline job opportunities in nursing, social work, engineering and various skilled trades in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Russia, China and the Middle East,” he said. ‘‘There will also be seminars advising Irish tradespeople about meeting the increasingly high standards of the Australian construction, engineering and hospitality industries.”
The Working Abroad Expo takes place on September 19 and 20 in Dublin’s RDS and the Europa Hotel in Belfast on September 22 and 23. Tickets for the Dublin event cost €10. For more information, or to book a place, visit www.workingabroad.ie
Monday 14 September 2009
Aid agencies could benefit from‘pay-cations’
Friday 11 September 2009
Keeping the faith
When Saturday Comes - WSC daily - September 8 2009
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After hauling off Sulley Muntari half an hour into a Serie A game with Bari last month, Internazionale manager Jose Mourinho blamed the Ghanaian midfielder’s religious beliefs.
“Ramadan has not arrived at the ideal moment for a player to play a football match,” said Mourinho, upset after a poor 1-1 draw for the Italian champions.
Mourinho's comments sparked a debate in Italy with Mohamed Nour Dachan, president of the Italian Union of Islamic Communities, telling Sky Italia: "I think Mourinho could do with talking a little less.” The UK’s Daily Star also helpfully picked up on the issue, headlining a story: Muslims: we’ll kill Mourinho.
The issue of footballers dealing with Ramadan, when Muslims must abstain from eating or drinking during daylight hours, has been more calmly dealt with in Spain, a country with its own Moorish Islamic past.
Sevilla's Freddie Kanouté is among the highest profile players affected. Kanouté, who was 20 when he converted to Islam, the religion of his father, told the press that Ramadan fasting benefited his game rather than hindering it. “Having faith helps my football,” he said. “There is no conflict because people who know about Islam know that fasting empowers and does not weaken the Muslim.”
Various dietary and religious experts have weighed into the debate on whether irregular nutritional intake hinders performance or adds mental discipline. Doctor and Imam Moulana Yusuf Daya praised Real Madrid for supporting the club's Islamic players, who include Karim Benzema and Lassana Diarra. “Fasting is an effective means of restoring a player’s longevity,” said Daya. “Ramadan also helps lower cholesterol and systolic blood pressure.”
However, while the physical conditioning argument is interesting, it is the strength of character to stand up for what he believes in, whether or not his employers agree, that marks Kanouté out as a singular footballer. When gambling website 888.com sponsored Seville in 2007, Kanouté refused to wear a shirt promoting the sinful practice of gambling, until a “sizeable” amount was donated to an Islamic charity. The following year he spent €500,000 (£434,000) buying a mosque in Seville that had been due to close, so local Muslims had somewhere to pray. In January he was fined by the Spanish League for celebrating a goal by revealing a T-shirt supporting the Palestinian cause.
It is not that uncommon either for Christian footballers to religiously remove clothing upon scoring or winning a game. Everton’s Steven Pienaar, when he scored a deflected winner for Everton against Spurs last year, showed off a “God Is Great” vest and was promptly booked. Kaka famously unveiled his “I Belong To Jesus” T-shirt after winning the Champions League with Milan in 2007. However even Kaka, a leading light in the Athletes for Christ movement, has not involved himself in as many causes as Kanouté.
Whatever you think about Kanouté's stubborn and/or independent streak, it certainly hasn't harmed his career. Since leaving Spurs he's become one of La Liga's top strikers, scored in two successive victorious UEFA Cup finals and was 2007 African Player of the Year. As it happens, he has had a fairly shocking start to this season – sent off against Valencia as his team lost 2-0 in the season opener. Meanwhile, a 1-1 draw with Benin last weekend means he won't be at next year's World Cup.
Monday 31 August 2009
Twittering threat to job agencies
Sunday Business Post - Recruitment - Aug 30 2009
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The use of social network ing websites by professionals is driving fund a mental changes in the Irish recruitment industry, according to Declan Fitzgerald, global sourcing manager with Microsoft.
‘‘The Irish recruitment industry is in a state of huge change at the moment, and social media and the internet are driving a lot of this change,” said Fitzgerald. ‘‘We are seeing the arrival of the ‘internet recruiter’ who knows how to deploy a variety of different technologies, tools and techniques to source particular candidates. The smart recruiters now understand how to harness these technologies.”
Ronan Colleran, managing director of Accreate Executive Search & Interim, said the recession was prompting recruiters in Ireland to use social networking sites to save time and money.
‘‘The rate of increased awareness of the potential of social networking amongst the Irish recruitment community has been significant over the past six months in particular,” said Colleran. ‘‘With the downturn in the economy, people have started thinking of fresh ways to approach their work; maybe they are working a little harder than in a buoyant employment market.”
The sheer number of people using social networking websites is an obvious draw for recruiters. LinkedIn has more than 44 million members in over 200 countries. The number of Irish users signed up to Facebook has more than doubled to over 900,000 since the start of the year, and Twitter is also fast gaining ground among business users.
‘‘It started very much with younger people exploring these social networks, but the vast majority of people joining Twitter and Facebook in the last six months are over 35,” said Fitzgerald. ‘‘There is quite a large number of directors and chief executives at large multinationals with a presence on these sites. They may not be active users, but they are there.”
Fitzgerald, who runs his own LinkedIn recruitment group and blog, said Microsoft was among the first companies in Ireland to use social networking for recruitment purposes.
‘‘We’ve been using LinkedIn successfully for three years to recruit, and now have hundreds of recruiters using it,” he said. ‘‘I run two-day training courses internally, where we teach people how to use LinkedIn, Facebook and the internet generally, to search for company information, see conversations that people are having, and thereby approach them using various communication techniques.”
In February, LinkedIn launched its Talent Advantage suite of solutions, allowing recruiters to actively target candidates on the site.
‘‘LinkedIn’s recruiter product allows you to send mass emails to LinkedIn profiles, which is an excellent way for you to send out your job description and get people’s attention,” said Fitzgerald. ‘‘You can expand your network, and get access to their millions of users. You are also able to send more mails and contact more people.”
Microsoft has used social networking to find overseas candidates with niche skills.
‘‘We were hiring people for our malware engineering virus response team in the last year. We looked in the Irish market and there were very few people with that specialisation,” said Fitzgerald. ‘‘Using LinkedIn, we were able to type in certain keywords or technologies and find profiles of engineers around the world with the right experience. We then targeted two countries in particular - Romania and Finland - and contacted candidates to see if they were interested. There were no agency fees, very little costs involved, and it was very quick.”
Accreate has also used LinkedIn to find high-level candidates with specialised skills.
‘‘We used social networking to source a candidate who was based in Korea for a European client with operations in Ireland. This required a specific and specialised skillset in the financial services area,” said Colleran. ‘‘Given the locations involved, it would have been difficult to source this particular candidate without using social recruiting as part of our research process.”
Despite these advantages, the sheer size of the social networking ‘net’ can sometimes create as many problems as it solves for recruiters.
‘‘The sites increase the reach for research teams but they do not lessen the workload,” said Colleran. ‘‘As more candidates sign up, more sifting needs to be done to ensure the most relevant candidates are sourced for a given role.”
Communications consultant Damien Mulley advised recruiters to use professional networking sites carefully, and with long-term goals in mind.
‘‘Some recruiters are playing the short game and putting a wide spread in their sights and targeting everyone, as it is easy to do digitally. These networks offer the opportunity to build a relationship over a period of months and even years,” said Mulley. ‘‘It would be great if you only get approached by a recruiter when the ideal position pops up - a bit like an art dealer that knows what you like and only contacts you when they have something they know you will like and they know they can sell.”
Mulley believes that social networking poses a serious threat to the traditional industry, as it offers a cheaper and easy-to-use alternative to employers.
‘‘I think we will see more people Twitter, blog and Facebook about new jobs in their company and those ads spreading through networks of friends and trusted sources,” he said.
As work practices become more flexible and dispersed, Mulley said social networking could play a central role in complex recruitment and human resource processes.
‘‘I think recruiters and employers might become hubs of hiring activity, connectors of talent and facilitators of information, he said. ‘‘With a workforce that is going to move away from nine-to-five work and not working in the office, it will be up to HR and employers to keep these different networks of people working well.”
Colleran advised recruitment companies to make sure their own staff had the skills to make the best possible use of social networking sites.
‘‘As the popularity of social recruiting grows, there will be an increased onus on individual consultants and researchers to embrace the sites. As some are more web savvy than others, in-house training could be used to address any issues in this regard,” he said.
Colleran said that recruiters who failed to adapt to the trend risked falling behind in an industry facing unprecedented change.
‘‘If firms do not adapt towards using these tools, they will be left behind. Social networking sites are free and, since candidates are embracing this new phenomenon, so too must recruiters,” he said.
Online tools should be used in conjunction with established recruitment practices, Colleran said.
‘‘Companies run the risk of not hiring the best candidate if they rely only on information gleaned from the web. It is important to bear in mind that not all candidates have a presence online. Traditional methods, which have served us well over the years, should not be discarded,” he said.
Ireland confident in testing times
Sunday Business Post - Business of Sport - Aug 23 2009
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Everyone involved with the Irish cricket team is looking forward to taking on England in a one-day cricket international in Belfast on Thursday, according to the chairman of cricket for Cricket Ireland.
‘‘The England fixture is a massive event for everybody connected with Cricket Ireland,” said Joe Doherty.
‘‘As a one-off fixture, it would always be the showpiece of any year, but it is not just a meaningless friendly against one of the ‘big’ nations. It is a full ranking ODI (one-day international) that carries global ranking points for both countries and also serves as a benchmark for our own progress,” he said.
The match, sponsored by RSA Insurance, was the only chance to see top-level international cricket in Ireland this year, he said. It will be England’s first game after the final Test of the current Ashes series with Australia.
‘‘Tickets are selling strongly, and we expect the Stormont ground to be packed on the day,” he said. ‘‘The fixture is also attracting strong interest from groups making block bookings for corporate, club and social entertainment in the marquees.”
The game will be the third one-day international in three years between the two nations.
Although England have won both games so far, including a meeting during the 2007World Cup in Guyana, Ireland were not outclassed on either occasion. Given the timing this time around, they will fancy their chances of an upset on Thursday.
Ireland will have a full strength team to call on, including captain William Porterfield and England-based players Niall O’Brien and Boyd Rankin.
‘‘The coach and selectors have a full complement of players available,” said Doherty. ‘‘All our players are looking forward to another joust against the English.”
The Irish team is also involved in the Intercontinental Cup - the main competition for second tier cricketing nations.
‘‘We are proud holders of the trophy won in South Africa last winter, and have now won it on three successive occasions,” said Doherty. ‘‘It is a benchmark trophy for International Cricket Council [ICC] purposes, and an indicator of the ‘best of the rest’ outside the Test cricketing family. So far this year, we have had the better of a rain-affected draw against Kenya in July and performed well again against Scotland this week.”
Barring a win against England on Thursday, the highlight of the year for Irish cricket will remain June’s world T20 tournament in London, where Ireland beat Bangladesh to make the Super 8 stage.
Doherty said a successful qualification for next year’s World Cup, which will be held in the West Indies in April, was now expected of the Irish team.
‘‘We are determined to qualify again, and we will have all our top players available,” he said. ‘‘We are in no way complacent though, as aT20match can hinge on one good performance from one player on either side. Our T20 skills are being honed all the time and we hope to have the players at peak performance level, mentally and physically, come February’s qualifying tournament in the UAE.”
Off the field, the major development at Cricket Ireland this summer has been the recruitment of Mark Garaway as the sport’s new director of cricket operations, a position funded by the ICC to improve the standard and profile of cricket in Ireland.
‘‘Although only 35,Mark is vastly experienced at playing, coaching, analysis and cricket administration,” said Doherty. ‘‘In the England camp, he was responsible for providing specialist technical support to successive coaches, including Duncan Fletcher and Andy Flower.
‘‘We are confident that, as well as improving participation, development and coaching throughout Ireland, he will be a precious asset to coach Phil Simmons and the playing staff. We are excited about him coming on board.”
Garaway’s brief will include preparing Ireland for possible elevation to the ranks of full Test-playing cricket nations, said Doherty.
‘‘Test cricket is not feasible in Ireland in the short term due to logistical considerations, such as stadia, quality of pitches, core support for the game and working capital,” he said. ‘‘In the medium term, however, many of these issues could be addressed. The future structure of Test cricket is by no means set in stone.
‘‘Our medium-term goal is to be ranked in the world’s top eight by 2015,up from our position of tenth,” said Doherty. ‘‘Our strategic plans reflect the steps necessary to achieve that goal and we are undergoing a review of our domestic game to get the basics right.
‘‘Next year we will host Australia in another ODI, and we have negotiated an arrangement to alternate visits from the ‘big two’ from now on. Mark Garaway is joining us at the perfect time.”
He added that the rising profile of the Irish cricket team, especially since the World Cup in the West Indies in 2007, had led to an increase in the numbers playing the game.
‘‘Participation levels have definitely increased since 2007, and organised cricket is being played again in parts of Ireland where it had never been formally played or where it had lain dormant for more than a century,” he said.
‘‘We are currently providing development support to groups in counties Roscommon and Sligo and in the city of Derry, for example, where cricket had been in decline since the outbreak of the Troubles. We need to expand the core base of participation and active interest to give us a chance of recurring success at international level, competing, as we do, against countries with vast cricketing populations.”
Attaining test status would help to halt the steady flow of Irish-born players, such as Ed Joyce and Eoin Morgan (who is in the England squad for this week’s match) to other countries, said Doherty.
‘‘In the short term, the loss of players like Ed and Eoin will continue to be a challenge, but we respect our young cricketers’ healthy ambitions. For those two, England was the only Test show in town,” he said. ‘‘Until and unless we can offer meaningful Test or ‘new Test’ status to our players, that anomaly will continue to exist and frustrate us.”
No break for travel industry
Sunday Business Post - Recruitment - Aug 23 2009
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A spate of redundancy announcements has rocked the Irish travel industry over the summer months, traditionally the busiest period for holiday-makers at home and visitors from overseas.
Last week, Sunway Holidays announced plans to close three outlets in Dublin, with the loss of nine jobs. The move followed 95 job losses at Budget Travel, which announced that it was to close 14 of its 31 Irish outlets earlier this month. The high-profile staff protests that followed Thomas Cook’s move to halt Irish operations, with 77 redundancies, pointed to wider unrest in a sector hit hard by the fall in consumer spending.
The numbers employed in the travel business have fallen significantly in the last year, according to Simon Nugent, chief executive of the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA).
‘‘The pattern this year has been about companies shedding staff, not recruiting,” said Nugent. ‘‘While the leisure travel side has dropped away a bit, the corporate travel side has dropped significantly. I would say pretty much all ITAA member firms have reduced their staff since last autumn.”
Falling employment According to the most recent available CSO figures, overseas visits to Ireland fell by 114,000, or 15 per cent, in June compared to the same month last year. Eamonn McKeon, chief executive of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation, said further job losses were inevitable.
‘‘We reckon that, overall, jobs in the travel and tourism industry fell by about 10 per cent last year from a peak of 310,000,” he said. ‘‘Our ‘guesstimate’ is that it will reach about 250,000 this year, based on what we hear from our members. I am not aware of any sector of the travel or tourism industry, with the possible exception of family-run B&Bs or farmhouses, which has not had to let people go. The numbers are down everywhere, from hotels and restaurants to cruising companies and car rental firms.
‘‘The Dublin Airport Authority has been talking about rationalisation, as have the airlines. Every sector either has let staff go or did not take on the additional summer staff they would normally have taken on.”
Valerie Sorohan, marketing manager of Jobs.ie, said there had been a noticeable drop in the number of travel and tourism positions advertised online this year.
‘‘Jobs.ie has five different categories of travel and tourism jobs: chef jobs, hotels, pubs, bars and clubs, restaurants and catering, and travel and tourism,” said Sorohan. ‘‘This year, the number of jobs posted has decreased across all five categories by 50 to 70 per cent year-on-year.”
Study and training
Nugent said the shortfall in available positions had prompted candidates in the sector to consider new training and study options. Overseen by the ITAA, the Travel Professionals Skillnet has introduced several new courses this year, including a DIT-accredited Travel Professionals Higher Certificate and shorter training programmes focused on specific aspects of the travel business.
‘‘The Skillnet has been extremely important, as it allows us to improve staff skills and help travel companies put their best foot forward,” said Nugent. ‘‘Consumers have become more demanding, and people working in our sector now need an encyclopaedic knowledge of routes and destinations, the legalities and complexities of travel, visas and passports and insurance issues.”
McKeon said upskilling was a viable route for candidates unable to secure work in the sector.
‘‘There are lots of terrific courses available from Fás, and more directly tourism-related ones from Fáilte Ireland,” he said. ‘‘Some are distance learning, some are six weeks, others six months. There is something there for every skill. In all jobs, even craft-based professions, there is always a further level you can go to.
‘‘Courses that teach supervisor’s skills are a relatively attractive option for people. It is hoped that they can come away with a better CV and, when normal times return, they should be more employable and able to command a higher salary.”
Related sectors
Sorohan urged candidates to consider looking for work in a new or related sector or profession.
‘‘In these sectors, customer service is of huge importance, and people can perhaps transfer their skills Individuals could look at customer service jobs, waiting staff positions or others,” she said.
Nugent said other consumerfocused sectors, such as retailing or marketing, could offer employment opportunities to individuals with a professional background in travel or tourism.
‘‘To work in a travel environment, you have to be an extremely good ‘people person’ with a broad range of knowledge,” he said. ‘‘Having worked in the travel sector is very good training for any customerfacing role.”
Nugent said many of the candidates who have lost their jobs as a result of the downturn in travel and tourism were relatively recent arrivals to the country.
‘‘In 2006 and 2007, our members found it more or less impossible to recruit the staff they needed here,” he said. ‘‘They found very talented travel agency staff abroad, and lots of people had good experiences employing them. There is certainly then some mobility in the sector.”
Sorohan said the number of candidates applying for positions posted on Jobs.ie had fallen.
‘‘This January, employers could have expected to receive 66 applications, but in June this year that went down slightly to 45,” she said. ‘‘That would suggest that non-Irish workers unable to find a job in these industries this year have moved to seek employment elsewhere.”
Protecting jobs
Nugent said employers in the sector were keen to protect as many jobs as possible.
‘‘Companies have negotiated reductions in salaries and different part-time or other working arrangements with their staff,” he said. ‘‘Staff are entirely aware of the realities of the sector and have been quite understanding.”
Staff unhappy with the redundancy terms offered by Thomas Cook, following the closure of its Irish branches, with 77 redundancies earlier this month, staged a high-profile sit-in at the company’s Grafton Street branch.
However, Nugent said most redundancies in the sector were proving less contentious.
‘‘We provide a legal advisory service for our members that covers employment law and personnel management and doing right by your staff,” he said. ‘‘It is a difficult area, but in most cases things tend not to become confrontational.”
Further redundancies
McKeon said that, with no end to the downturn in sight, employers in the travel and tourism sector could announce further redundancies.
‘‘Travel people tend to be optimistic and hope that a recovery will come,” he said. ‘‘The problem is that we are now entering the off-season, and companies will not have built up the strong cash flows this summer to get them through next winter.
‘‘Huge discounting has been great for the consumer, but has only kept things ticking over. The lack of availability of credit is really going to test the survival capacity of lots of good businesses this winter.”
Despite this, the number of hospitality positions advertised on Jobs.ie in the first six months of the year were up on the same period last year.
‘‘From January to June, there was actually an increase in jobs being posted across all the five travel and tourism sectors by an average of 44 per cent, which is promising,” Sorohan said. ‘‘It suggests that these areas were hit hardest by the recession last year, but this year there are signs that each of these areas are picking up.
‘‘At present, the hotels category has the most number of jobs listed, and chef positions are also quite popular.”
Government cuts
Last month’s Bord Snip Nua report recommended a €12 million cut to the government supported Tourism Marketing Fund and a €15 million slice off Fáilte Ireland’s budget.
McKeon cautioned the government against implementing either measure.
‘‘The only thing that will keep jobs within the tourism sector is if visitors keep coming, so governments need to keep their marketing budgets in foreign markets,” he said. ‘‘It is a viciously competitive world out there, and if Ireland disappears from websites, trade promotions, media advertisements and all of that, we will lose market share.”
McKeon said discussions were under way with the government to give tourism companies access to the Enterprise Stabilisation Fund, which was announced earlier this month.
‘‘Foreign tourism is an export business, although domestic tourism is not,” he said. ‘‘We would be anxious to have the scheme extended to the travel and tourism sector.”
Future recovery
Nugent said the travel industry would recover quickly, once the wider economy stabilised.
‘‘What is good for the economy at large is good for the travel sector,” he said. ‘‘If the overall economy gets righted, it will kick-start growth for travel companies.”
When it emerges from the recession, Nugent said the sector would be leaner and more technologically advanced.
‘‘Travel is a very dynamic sector, and has been long before the recent fast economic growth and then sudden economic decline,” he said. ‘‘Our members are transforming their business models all the time and investing in the online capacity of their staff. ‘‘That is the way the sector is going.”
