The number of professional job vacancies in Ireland increased by 19% in June, compared to the same period last year, according to figures from Morgan McKinley.

The data from Morgan McKinley also showed that there were 4% more professionals seeking jobs that in the same time last year.

On a month-to-month basis, the number of professional job vacancies fell by 5% in June while there was a decrease of 6% for professionals seeking jobs in the same period.

“The moderate reduction in the number of job seekers in June, compared to May, is largely seasonal in nature as there is usually less mobility and attrition to be seen in the market at this time of year. Nevertheless we predict continuing buoyancy in the professional jobs market into 2018,” Morgan McKinley Ireland, Director of Inward Investment, Trayc Keevans, said.

The data showed continuous strong growth in the ICT sector where there is demand for specialised skill sets including software engineering and cyber security. In Financial Services, there was demand for risk and compliance professionals. Meanwhile, HR professionals remain in high demand and particularly those with specialisms in organisational design, compensation and benefits as organisational culture and workplace flexibility remains a high priority for businesses and employees alike.

“It’s still too early to say if these positive indicators are related to inbound Brexit. Many companies in the financial services sector are simply maintaining their currently strong levels of employment as opposed to overtly expanding,” Keevans said.