Irishjobs.ie Jobs Index the number of jobs in the IT and technology sectors advertised online increased for the fourth quarter of 2011 in areas such as Dublin, Cork and Galway.

Although the number of jobs in total were down for the final quarter, the IT sector actually managed a job advertisement increase.

Dr Stephen Kinsella, a lecturer in Economics at the University of Limerick wrote the report.

He said: “Just below 200,000 people have now been unemployed for more than a year. With so much apparent doom and gloom, where are the jobs in Ireland and where are they likely to come from? The short answer is technology.

“The Jobs Index figures for the stronger jobs categories reflect the IDA’s recent announcement of 13,000 new jobs created across 148 investments in export oriented and high technology companies.”

Other sectors also saw an increase in jobs advertised with the transport industry showing an increase of 30% and tourism rising by 23%.

“Once demand for job advertisements begins to fall it is a sign that employers are operating more cautiously in response to tougher conditions,”

“They focus on cash flow protection and work to keep those already employed in jobs, not expansion. Our index shows that relative to the peak of jobs advertised in the second quarter of 2011, in the fourth quarter, job advertisements are down over 21 per cent,” Kinsella added.