Jobseekers are in demand as the recruitment market is bouncing back.

Three quarters of employers are planning to hire in the near future, according to online recruiter Indeed.

The number of vacancies posted on its website in Ireland has topped pre-pandemic levels, now standing at 18pc above February last year.

Its new survey of 500 employers shows 75pc of them are set to recruit as restrictions ease, while half will hire remotely in future.

It comes as the number of people on the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) has plummeted to its lowest level since the crisis began.

There are now 163,327 claimants, which is a fall of 29,000 people since last week as more staff returned to work at pubs and restaurants that reopened for indoor dining.

Another 175,281 people were on the Live Register at the end of June, according to the latest figures.

At its peak, there were over 600,000 people on the PUP last year.

In terms of new recruitment, according to Indeed the strongest performing sectors were veterinary, therapy, community and social service, agriculture, pharmacy, customer service and childcare.

Job postings in the hard-hit retail industry are 68pc above February last year.

Beauty and wellness, industrial and electrical engineering, architecture, education, insurance, GP and surgeon jobs were the weakest performers.

Vice president of the National Recruitment Federation and director of CPL, Siobhan O’Shea, said the jobs market was buoyant in most sectors.

“We are certainly seeing that traditional blue and white collar recruitment is very busy,” she said.

“That’s everything from customer service, to truck drivers, and support roles. It’s literally across the board.

“The momentum is incredibly positive and we are experiencing skills shortages in some areas.

“It’s evolving so rapidly and the economic outlook is incredibly positive.

"Three months ago, this is not what I would have been saying.”