Irish finance professionals are the most concerned about the current economic crisis and the future of their own jobs in a survey of 14 countries, a new report shows.
Ireland's results were the highest with 93 per cent saying they were "very" or "rather" concerned about the health of the global economy and 94 per cent concerned about the national economy, the survey from Robert Half International shows.
When asked what was the greatest concern to their company 91 per cent of respondents said it was the impact of the global credit crisis on the local economy. Despite this concern, however, Irish respondents from all those surveyed did not feel that morale in the workplace would be affected.
Also unlike all other countries no respondents in Ireland were concerned about the imminent departure of the baby boomer generation, which had previously been more of an issue.
When asked about their career plans, over half of the respondents in Ireland see themselves staying in their current role with 33 per cent planning on promotion in the next 12 months.
However, there is still that natural trend of people moving positions which makes for a more competitive recruitment market. Also due to the economic uncertainty, companies are ensuring they maintain their current staff and therefore their recruitment needs are becoming more specific, with many turning to interim cover to work on specific projects.
Ken Harbourne, Manager at Robert Half International said the survey found that one in four Irish finance professionals is still actively looking for a new role or thinking of a move.
“So, the competition has just got a hell of a lot tougher for positions, candidates can expect to be up against some fantastic people when interviewing."
"There is no doubt that business has got a lot tougher, however, despite the doom and gloom there are still plenty of opportunities out there for specialised skills sets, particularly for qualified interim staff and sharp accountants. In relation to the economy, Generation Y (18-33 year olds ) have just got the surprise of their life but Generation X have seen it before and knows how to play the game, ie, work hard, be a pro-active team player, and appreciate your job."
