The government has approved the recruitment of graduate nurses.

Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) is to recruit up to 1,000 graduate nurses and midwives in the new year.

The new appointments are expected to save the state health service around €10m in 2013, as it will reduce its reliance on agency workers.

The HSE said in a statement that the government had approved the recruitment drive, which will take place from early in the new year.

“This initiative will see graduate nurses deployed across the many specialities within HSE and HSE-funded services, which currently rely on agency staff and overtime in order to maintain services,” it said.

The HSE added that its current arrangement with agency nurses and funding overtime was unsustainable.

The graduates will be employed under a two-year contract and paid at a rate of 80 per cent of the first point of the salary scale of a staff nurse.

This means those appointed could earn up to €26,000 a year.

General secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) Liam Doran said the union was shocked at the pay rate, the Irish Times reports.

The INMO hopes to hold talks with management on the matter.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny announced 500 new jobs by Mylan. (Pic: Niall Carson/PA)

A US pharmaceutical company has announced the creation of 500 jobs in Dublin and Galway.

Mylan will invest€ 76 million into its Irish workforce every year over the next five years and hopes to fill the positions by 2016.

The majority of the jobs will be based in the firm’s existing Dublin branch, with 220 in Galway.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny made the announcement at the Dublin facility.

“[The] announcement, in addition to the company’s proven 25-year track record as a top employer and reliable exporter in Ireland, demonstrates Mylan’s commitment to its Irish operations and recognition for the capabilities of its talented workforce,” he said.

IDA, the enterprise organisation responsible for attracting foreign investment into Ireland, described the expansion as a positive development for the life sciences sector.

Mylan employs 700 people at its Irish facilities. The company delivers pharmaceutical products to customers in an estimated 150 countries around the world.

The jobs boost will see increased research and development, and manufacturing capabilities within the firm’s respiratory, injectables and oral solids franchises.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton, who also attended the launch, said the news is evidence that the Government is on track with its Action Plan for Jobs, which aims to deliver 100,000 new jobs by 2016.

“The life sciences industry is a key part of this Government’s strategy for jobs and growth,” Mr Bruton said.

“Employing approximately 50,000 people here directly, the sector is a major strength in Ireland, but we must build on this.”

:: Boost

Meanwhile, junior minister responsible for the Gaeltacht Dinny McGinley said the jobs boost in the Galway Connemara branch in particular was a major coup for the region.

The Donegal South-West TD said Mylan’s expansion in the Irish-speaking region represents a vote of confidence in the area’s workforce.

“This is a prime example of how Ireland’s enterprise development agencies collaborate to ensure that the west of Ireland and specifically the Gaeltacht benefits from job creation through foreign direct investment,” said Mr McGinley.

The Mylan branch operating in Connemara goes under the name Bioniche Pharma. It currently employs 160 people in the area.

Australia’s unemployment rate held steady at 5.2 per cent in March.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that Australia added 44,000 jobs last month.

The increase in employment was driven by increased full-time employment for 15,800 people and part-time employment for 28,200 people.

The total number of people in employment was just under 11.5 million.

There were 629,100 unemployed people in Australia in March, a decrease of 3,200.

New Dublin call centre will be Sky's 10th across the UK and Ireland.

Digital TV provider Sky has announced the creation of 800 jobs in Dublin.

The company will open a customer contact centre in Burlington Plaza in the city centre in August.

Recruitment is to start immediately and the positions are expected to be filled over the next two years.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said the move is evidence of increased confidence in Ireland.

“This is great news and represents a very welcome vote of confidence in our workforce and in the Irish economy by a leading company,” said Mr Bruton.

“Confidence is key and, in the coming weeks, the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs will implement a series of measures to drive reform across the economy, ensure that more businesses can create more jobs, and get growth and confidence back into the economy again.”

Jobs on offer will range from customer service manager and adviser roles to training, coaching and HR positions.

The Dublin call centre will be Sky’s 10th across the UK and Ireland.

Around 10.5 million homes use the company’s digital services, which include Sky 3D and Sky Go, which allows customers to access TV on their iPads, games consoles and mobile phones.

Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch said he was delighted to be opening a centre in Ireland.

“Our Irish customers are very important to our business and the creation of this customer centre will ensure they receive first class customer service,” said Mr Darroch.

“We hope to recruit a committed and enthusiastic workforce and look forward to making further contributions to the local community.”

Barry O’Leary, chief executive of IDA Ireland, the company responsible for attracting direct foreign investment into the country, also welcomed the announcement.

The number of job advertisements placed for November was nominally higher than the same time last year.

The number of job advertisements on the internet and in newspapers remained flat in November, new figures reveal.

According to the ANZ Job Advertisement series, the total number of jobs advertised in Australia last month was at an average of 181,461 advertisements per week, only 0.2 per cent higher than in 2010.

Jobs advertised in newspapers grew by 0.6 per cent in November, but were 15.9 per cent lower than a year ago, reflecting the move towards online advertising.

The number of internet job advertisements were broadly unchanged for the month, but remain 6.6 per cent lower than at its peak in April of this year.

Head of Australian economics and property research at ANZ, Ivan Colhoun, said the current trend rate of employment growth is unlikely to be fast enough to absorb the forecast growth in the labour force.

:: Two speeds

“The negative trend in job advertisements points towards only modest employment gains for the Australian economy over the coming months. As a result, ANZ forecasts the unemployment rate to rise to 5.5 per cent by mid-2012.”

The research also found that the mining states of Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory continued to outperform the more populous states of New South Wales and Victoria.

Mr Colhoun added that as a result, employment growth disparities between states “are to be expected”.

The average number of newspaper advertisements increased by 10.1 per cent from the previous month in Queensland, 4.5 per cent in Western Australia, 2.5 percent in Tasmania and 2.2 per cent in the Northern Territory.

In New South Wales these figures fell by of 2.9 per cent, by 1.7 percent in Victoria, 4.6 per cent in South Australia and 0.7 per cent in the Australian Capital Territory.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Reserve Bank has cut interest rates by 0.25 per cent.

The 25 basis point fall comes on the back of a similar cut last month.  The official interest rate is now 4.25 per cent.

Each 0.25 per cent drop in interest rates slices about $60 off the monthly interest cost of an average Australian mortgage.

WA Skills Minister - Peter Collier

The Australia Employment Expo 2011 takes place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin this weekend.

The event organisers, Event Management International claim over 1,200 jobs in Australia are on offer to Irish people at the expo.

The expo aims to bring together Australian employers from a variety of sectors with Irish workers looking for a move overseas. Employers from mining, oil and gas, construction (including engineering and architecture), health and IT will be in attendance.

Western Australia’s Minister for Energy, Training and Workforce Development, Peter Collier has welcomed the initiative.

“Initiatives like this will help both Australia and Ireland and we encourage Australian employers to support this initiative to assist with their skills requirements,” he said.

“The Australian Government has allocated 125,850 skilled migration visas towards Australia’s immigration intake for 2011-12, and I expect a significant number of these to result in migration to Western Australia.”

Over 7,500 people are expected to attend the two day event, which costs €10 to pre-register or €15 on the door.

Job interviews will be conducted at the expo via video link-up.

The event offers Irish people the opportunity to find out more information about working in Australia, such as how to apply for a working visa, healthcare, travel insurance and moving information.

Liquidators for PayFair must wait on legal advice before paying employee entitlements.

A Sydney company that went bust, leaving dozens of Irish workers out of pocket in the process, is awaiting legal advice before paying the workers’ salaries.

PayFair Pty Ltd went into voluntary liquidation in August 2010, owing money to as many as 100 Irish nationals engaged by the company on 457 visas.

Liquidators CRS Warner Kugel held an AGM for Payfair on Monday, November 7.

In correspondence distributed to creditors prior to the meeting, CRS said between $54,000 and $110,000 was now owing to PayFair’s former employees.

Many of the workers were hired directly by employers or through recruitment agencies but had their sponsorship and payroll processed through PayFair.

“We note that total employee entitlements paid as a priority will be subjected to the outcome of legal advice that we are currently awaiting regarding 457 visa holders,” the AGM report stated.

The visa holders were independent contractors whose salaries only were packaged by PayFair, it added.

CRS Warner Kugel has collected $11,000 from the sale of twenty 457 visa labour agreements.

The agreements, which the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) classifies as “formal arrangements to recruit a number of overseas skilled workers”, were available while PayFair remained solvent.

The liquidators are chasing debtors for bills of $248,324.

The Greater Gorgon gas fields contain about 40 trillion cubic feet of gas. (File pic)

Irish workers are being sought to work on the Gorgon gas fields project on Barrow Island, Western Australia.

Recruitment company JobContax is to carry out interviews for foreman and site manager positions in Dublin, London and Manchester in coming weeks.

The list of jobs available on the project can be found here. Interviews will take place in Dublin between November 18 and 25.

The salaries begin at €70,000 with a number of the position descriptions including an offer to cover the cost of relocating to Western Australian. The job advertisements state that JobContax’s client “will arrange a 457 visa for you and your family”.

The announcement has received significant media coverage in Ireland, where the official unemployment rate is 14.4 per cent.

There is a strong Irish connection on the Gorgon gas fields project. In July, Irish oil and gas company Kentz won a US$2.3 billion contract to work on the project.

Aviva is to halve its Irish workforce as the insurer debates a merger of its UK and Irish operations. (Pic: Julien Behal/PA)

Insurance giant Aviva has confirmed staff’s worst fears with plans to halve its workforce in Ireland over the next two-and-a-half years.

The massive cost-saving exercise will see 950 redundancies from the Irish division of the company and its European business.

The job losses, billed by the firm as necessary to make “a stronger, leaner business”, are expected to take effect from next March.

But senior union leaders warned the cuts were worse than anybody anticipated.

Unite regional officer Brian Gallagher said: “The axe has fallen harder and sharper than the worst fears of staff.

“They are stunned and scared by what they have been told.”

Igal Mayer, chief executive of Aviva Europe, said its costs in Ireland have to be reduced to protect the long-term future of the company — which recently reported an operating profit of €1.5 billion for the first six months of this year.

“We appreciate that there will be a period of uncertainty for our people over the next few months as the proposals are explored further, and we’ll make every effort to support them during the consultation period and beyond,” he said.

“The proposed changes to our regional operations will deliver a stronger, leaner business, at the heart of which is a firm focus on meeting our customers’ needs.”

Aviva Ireland employs 1,770 people in Dublin, Cork and Galway and has built up a customer base of 1.3 million people. The redundancies are expected to involve 770 from Aviva Ireland and 180 roles from Aviva Europe based in Ireland.

Aviva said the job losses were agreed in a proposal to merge the Aviva Ireland division with Aviva UK to form a new UK and Ireland region and become the most competitive insurance provider in Ireland.

Trade union leaders, who were briefed on the plan by management yesterday evening, are holding talks with staff in Dublin, Galway, Cork and representatives of the 26 Aviva branches.

They said they have been given a commitment that consultations over redundancies and job transfers can be held for as long as is necessary.

Mr Gallagher said Unite will scrutinise the plan and fight to keep high-level positions in Ireland.

“The company remains immensely profitable on both a local and a global scale. The workers that have made it so cannot be treated with disdain,” he added.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the Aviva redundancies show how much work has to be done to restore the Irish economy.

“This is an awful day for employees in Aviva,” he said.

“What has happened here is a huge shock to those directly involved. It serves as a stark reminder to everybody of the long road we have to travel.

“We’re all concerned about this. In dealing with this problem we want to get it right. For the future of the country. This means we have to make changes — to the legal services, the way our health service is instructed — for the country as a whole.

“This is a difficult road that the Government has to travel and to challenge with our people. To ensure that the future of this country remains competitive, to produce jobs, grow new jobs and achieve my own ambition — that by 2016 (we will be) proving we are the best small country for business.”

Aviva management described Ireland as one of its 12 priority markets and said they will examine the possibility of opening new centres of business excellence in Ireland to serve customers in the UK with the hope that this might save about 200 jobs.

Aviva operates in 13 countries across Europe, including the UK, providing life, general and health insurance products to more than 32 million customers.

Unite members at Aviva later voted to start a ballot for industrial action over the job losses.

The motion was passed by a unanimous show of hands at a meeting in Dublin and will begin after union leaders address workers around the country.

Another show of hands expressed a total lack of confidence in management, Unite added.

Mr Gallagher said staff in Dublin were angry and determined.

“Aviva remains immensely profitable and we will not accept compulsory redundancies; we will not accept a voluntary package below what our members deserve; we will not facilitate the removal of jobs from Ireland without negotiated agreement,” he said.

“Staff will not roll over and allow their jobs be taken away without justification of every change and agreement over the terms on which any redundancies are made.”

It has seen its fair share of ups and downs in recent years, with the dotcom crash of 2000 and the subsequent boom period, but while other industries are cutting costs and freezing recruitment, the IT sector is currently looking relatively healthy for 2009.

Times are by no means easy, but the demand is still present for software developers, in particular, in most of the major cities. Word on the ground is that those who are highly skilled, flexible and prepared to negotiate on salary should find employment without too much difficulty.

Last week’s Hays Recruitment Quarterly Report on IT found that recruitment in the industry is still ongoing in many sectors and that highly skilled technical candidates remain in demand. Large government-funded projects such as the Australian National Broadband Network will require a significant number of skilled workers and even the private sector is still recruiting – albeit at a slightly slower pace.

According to Peter Noblet of Hays Recruitment, contractors are currently much more in demand than those seeking permanent positions.

 “We’re seeing a lot more contract roles coming up as companies become that bit more circumspect about their recruitment policies,” he told the Irish Echo. “A contractor is more flexible than a permanent worker and with everything that is going on in the economy at the moment, that is what most employers are looking for.

“There is still a shortage of skilled workers in many areas of development, such as Dot.Net, Voiceover IP, Java and J2EE. But the right experience, knowledge and business acumen is essential. Average workers will struggle.”

Finding a job depends on where you’re living as well as your skill set. Sydney, the traditional hub of IT activity, has seen a distinct slowdown, but still has by far the most positions available. Brisbane is suffering slightly due to the mining industry slowdown, but is still relatively buoyant, according to recruiters.

By contrast, Melbourne has seen a dramatic downturn, according to the general manager of Finite IT Recruitment Solutions, Duncan Thomson. As a result, many workers are investigating a move to Canberra, which is seeing a surge in job opportunities in the IT sector.

“Melbourne is a tough market for IT at the moment,” Thomson told the Irish Echo. “I would say it is one of the toughest markets in Australia.”

Finite IT have seen the number of applications for jobs around Australia double in the last nine months, he added.

“We are now getting double the volume of response to each ad we place,” he said. “I think on reflection it’s a lot tougher out there than it was this time last year…The market is an awful lot slower. But things are still looking optimistic for the year ahead. There is always demand for good quality IT professionals.”

When software developer Stephen Price, 31, from Dublin, arrived in Sydney in January 2007, he had a range of job offers to choose from. Having acquired residency through his skilled occupation, Price found jobs in both contract and permanent positions were plentiful.

“When I arrived in Sydney, it was in the middle of an IT boom and there were more jobs available than people to fill them,” he told the Irish Echo. “I actually had a choice between four different jobs around the city and I found that, as a contractor, the money was better in Australia than Ireland.”

However, as the economy worsened at the end of last year, Price was let go from his company and found himself searching for work at the worst possible time of year.

 “There are still jobs out there but these days there are more people looking and less jobs available,” he said. “I was lucky enough to get a good role at a good rate, but the other jobs I was in the running for were not positions I would be interested in when times are good. I think IT professionals who are on Working Holiday Visas or are looking for sponsorship might struggle to get work in the current market.”

 Aidan McGowran, 26, from Dublin, was also searching for work in Sydney last month and found his Working Holiday Visa was a distinct disadvantage in the eyes of recruiters. Despite this, he found it much easier to secure a job than he had initially feared.

“I thought it would be tough to find employment during December and January, which are traditionally very slow months for recruitment in Australia, and I doubted the recession would make things easier,” he said. “But there seemed to be a decent number of jobs available, although the rates on offer were slightly lower than previously.”

As the markets in Europe and the US continue to slide, it is inevitable that more IT professionals are going to descend Down Under. Recruiters are already seeing a surge in Australians returning from overseas in search of work, and there has been an increase in the numbers of people overseas applying for skilled migration visas.

 “There are certainly more and more candidates looking for work,” Noblet said. “But this is no Dot.Com crash. I still think the jobs market will be pretty good in the first quarter of 2009.”

by Isabel Hayes