The number of new job vacancies reported by employers fell more than 19c in December from November because of the crisis as well as seasonal factors, while the number of registered job-seekers continued to rise, figures published on the National Employment Service (AFSZ) website show.
Employers reported 14,500 new jobs to labour centres in December, down 19.2pc from the previous month and 42.5pc lower than twelve months earlier.
AFSZ figures show 604,600 people registered as job-seekers a the end of December, up 4.2pc from the previous month. The rise in the number of job-seekers from the same month a year earlier was 26.7pc, down from 30.2pc in November and 34.2pc in October.