Is the job situation in Limerick really that bad?

garryowenman

Hi guys . I am a 25 year old graduate living in Limerick. I have just finished college. Over the past 2 years I have being trying to get part time work in limerick but have not succeeded. I was wondering is it just me or is the job situation really that bad in Limerick?

Does anyone know of any places that are currently taking people on?

I really don't want to go on job seekers allowance!

Is it hard to get a job in Tesco or Dunnes or lifestyle somewhere like that because there's not many graduate jobs in limerick!

Poxyshamrock

Check the jobs thread at the top of the forum.
It's called "need a job? Gis a job!".

Cookiemunster

Yes it is that bad unfortunately. Nationally the unemployment rate is 14%. In Limerick it's closer to 20%.
Best of luck with the job hunt, but be prepared to sign on for some period of time.

sleepyman

The unemployment rate in Limerick always seems to be higher than the national rate -even during the boom years.There always seems to be multiple job announcements in the media regarding jobs in Dublin( which you expect),Cork and Galway.I struggle to understand how a city with three/four higher level institutions,nearby airport and deep harbour is so poorly serviced by national/local job creation agencies.

padma

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Yes it is that bad unfortunately. Nationally the unemployment rate is 14%. In Limerick it's closer to 20%.
Best of luck with the job hunt, but be prepared to sign on for some period of time.

In Limerick it's closer to 28%, Highest Rate in the country, Limerick and Waterford is just as bad.

Buckeye

What is your degree in? Is there a particular reason you are only seeking part time work?

There are definitely jobs; my jobs.ie email turns up 5-10 new listings every day, and that is only one source.

I see very few postings on any of the boards for part time work, though. Almost every listing is for full time, and usually requires some sort of specific degree, skill, or experience. I have worked several contracts for businesses that had to recruit from outside Limerick to fill positions.

The jobs are definitely there. We just need to do more as a city & region to improve the skills in the labour force (and you may need to volunteer/intern for six months to develop a particular skill in your field).

Buckeye

garryowenman wrote: »

Hi guys . I am a 25 year old graduate living in Limerick. I have just finished college. Over the past 2 years I have being trying to get part time work in limerick but have not succeeded. I was wondering is it just me or is the job situation really that bad in Limerick?

Does anyone know of any places that are currently taking people on?

I really don't want to go on job seekers allowance!

Is it hard to get a job in Tesco or Dunnes or lifestyle somewhere like that because there's not many graduate jobs in limerick!

One significant sign I have seen over the last few months - jobs.ie, jobstoday, and both of my recruiters have been posting for reception/clerical/admin positions, after three years of rarely posting any jobs in this category. These are often luxury positions for a company, and that they are being posted again means cash flow at these companies is steadying and they can afford the risk of support staff.

They are also good foot-in-the-door positions, as you can start in an admin role and demonstrate skills and teamwork to the area you are interested in (finance, marketing, analysis..) while getting paid to do it.

fl4pj4ck

They are also good foot-in-the-door positions, as you can start in an admin role and demonstrate skills and teamwork to the area you are interested in (finance, marketing, analysis..) while getting paid to do it.

in other words, you're looking for some suckers to work for you?

Buckeye

fl4pj4ck wrote: »

in other words, you're looking for some suckers to work for you?

You're thinking of "unpaid interns".

You've clearly never been in an admin role, or in a senior role that only runs well with a good support team, or you wouldn't confuse the two.

Admins typically earn €20k-€30k, depending on experience & job requirements, and senior admins & PAs earn more. They manage the office side of the business, creating the time needed for other teams to focus on the actual business. Some people turn these roles into careers, and get very good at running the back office like clockwork. More often, people start in an admin or PA role to learn about the company itself, and then move into positions in the area they trained for.

(And honestly, every business owner is hiring people to do her work for her, no matter what the job or the salary. If you don't want to risk finding yourself the "sucker" some day, start your own business. But the original poster asked about real job prospects, not about starting a business or developing a flippant, sarcastic, snooty attitude toward entry-level work.)

fl4pj4ck

No I'm not thinking about unpaid interns. I'm talking about all those "the possibilities are endless", "you get great commision" type of jobs. And I spent few years doing different admin jobs, and then went self employed for another few, so you're wrong again.
Next time please don't put words into my mouth, what you say?

Buckeye

fl4pj4ck wrote: »

No I'm not thinking about unpaid interns. I'm talking about all those "the possibilities are endless", "you get great commision" type of jobs. And I spent few years doing different admin jobs, and then went self employed for another few, so you're wrong again.
Next time please don't put words into my mouth, what you say?

Admin and PA jobs do not pay on commission or make false promises. If a person reads an ad with those descriptors and believes the ad is for an admin role, that person simply does not know what secretarial, clerical, administrative, and PA roles really are.

Real administrative work requires relevant education or skills on the applicant's CV, pays a regular salary, and includes a real job description with specified responsibilities.

If it looks too good to be true, it's not an admin job.

Buckeye

garryowenman wrote: »

Hi guys . I am a 25 year old graduate living in Limerick. I have just finished college. Over the past 2 years I have being trying to get part time work in limerick but have not succeeded. I was wondering is it just me or is the job situation really that bad in Limerick?

Does anyone know of any places that are currently taking people on?

I really don't want to go on job seekers allowance!

Is it hard to get a job in Tesco or Dunnes or lifestyle somewhere like that because there's not many graduate jobs in limerick!

If there is a reason you are only looking for part time work, you might try PeoplePerHour online, if your degree/skills/past work fit in.

It's competitive, and wages tend to be a little lower than typical Irish wages for equivalent work because the competition is global. (This seems to be in flux, though, according to OECD and ILO; in low-cost-of-living countries, contractors can charge lower rates, but at the same time, they can use that gap to increase the rates they would charge locally. The wage effect seems to be more of a pendulum swing than a one-way decrease; fingers crossed.)

Of the few people I have known who have bid for/accepted contracts on PPH, the feedback has been about 50-50. A couple of people liked the freedom and flexibility, but a couple of others felt it was too difficult to do their work remotely.

None of them had any problems getting paid timely.

If you have the right skillset, it might be another way to stay in Limerick and find work from anywhere.

Buckeye

Last one, then back to my own work -

Did you do a senior project? Next week is Business Week in Limerick, and on Thursday LIMCEB is hosting a workshop called College Start-Ups: Turn Your Final Year Project Into a Business.

I know it's not what you asked, but if you haven't found a job yet, but feel like you have something marketable to offer, it could lead to starting your own business or partnering with someone who has a viable idea.