500 applications for every job

There are now almost 500 applicants for every job that is advertised across Galway city and county – and on the back of such an upsurge in demand for employment, a new breed of “yellow pack” workers are being created.

Employers are also saying that they are being flooded by applicants for jobs that they may not even have gotten a response to four years ago.

Even when there are rumours of jobs being created, that firm is flooded with CVs from unemployed people hoping to secure a position in advance of it being advertised.

And FAS staff have confirmed to The Connacht Tribune that there is “phenomenal” interest in the jobs they advertise on behalf of companies across County Galway.

Trade union SIPTU say that they have conducted some research into the amount of applicants there are for individual jobs in Galway city and county.

SIPTU official Michael Kilcoyne said that figures obtained from employers reveal that there are, on average, almost 500 applicants for positions which reveal the extent of the unemployment problem. 

However, he said that it had led to a new breed of “yellow pack” workers being created with some employers paying even below the minimum wage while those who secure the jobs do not complain.“The current employment slump has resulted in people working for slave wages and employers are taking full advantage of the situation.

“Even on last year’s figures, the number of people applying for jobs has grown by around 50% which is an indication of the desperation that is out there”, Mr. Kilcoyne said.

It is understood that a Tuam firm received over 2,000 letters and CVs when rumours spread that it was about to create a significant number of jobs.

This time last year almost 300 people applied for a FAS supervisor’s job on a Community Employment Scheme and these included out of work solicitors, engineers and teachers.

For full story see this week’s Connacht Tribune