Job vacancy decline eases in December 08

The decline in job vacancies stabilised at the end of 2008, a possible indication that employment prospects may not be as weak as anticipated.

According to the latest Olivier Job Index, job vacancies listed on online sources in December 2008 fell just 1.81% from the previous month, seasonally adjusted.

This compared to a steep 9.83% decline recorded by the index between October and November 2008.

Despite a slightly positive result for December 2008, year-on-year job vacancy figures remain bleak, particularly in the financial sector.

According to the Olivier Job Index, job vacancies in banking and financial services were down 48.4% in December 2008 compared with December 2007.