7/6/2012: QNHS Q1 2012: Sectoral Decomposition

In the previous post I covered the top-of-the-line data on QNHS for Q1 2012. This time, lets take a look at some sub-trends by occupation and public v private sector numbers.

A handy summary table to outline changes by occupation:

Few surprises in the above table are:

• Twin (q/q and y/y) rises in Wholesale & Retail Trade category, 
• Y/y rise in Accommodation and food service activities with a level increase of 8,600. This appears to confirm the Government claims on the sectoral jobs creation on the foot of jobs stimulus. The problem with comparatives is that the y/y increase comes on foot of a sudden decline in employment in the sub-sector in Q1 2011 when it fell to surprisingly low, seasonally-unjustified level of 102,900. Sub-sector employment remains down on Q1 2010 when it stood at 123,700 or 12,100 ahead of Q1 2012, and it is down on Q4 2011 when it was at 113,400 against Q1 2012 at 111,600. The core factor in Q1 2012 differential on Q1 2011 might have been not so much jobs creation as the increased expense of jobs reductions under Budget 2012. This, however, is speculative argument at best. My suggestion would be to wait and see how the numbers employed in the sector pan out in Q2 2012.
• Another surprising thing is that in the category of skills closely aligned with Accommodation and food service activities there was a decrease, not an increase, y/y in terms of employment. Caring, leisure and other service category of workers saw employment drop from 142,300 in Q1 2011 to 141,500 in Q1 2012. Something is not adding up, unless the jobs created in the sub-sector were managerial and/or associate professional and technical.
• Not surprisingly, ICT sub-sector grew employment y/y with 6.81% increase on Q1 2011 - the only private sector sub-sector that posted an increase in jobs on 2007 levels (+5.31%), with only other two sectors adding jobs on 2007 levels being Education (+4.64%) and Human Health and Social Activities (+6.57%).
• For all the claims of MNCs employment gains, the core sub-sector of Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities has seen employment shrinking, not rising in Q1 2012 relative to Q4 2011 (-0.53%), to Q1 2011 (-7.56%) and on 2007 (-15.44%). Striking feature of these changes is that this sector was the hardest hit in Q1 2012 of all sub-sectors listed by CSO, amidst the robust IDA and Government claims that jobs creation in MNCs is ongoing and that R&D and innovation activities are booming.

In the core series for sub-sectors:

• There was a recorded rise in Education sub-sector. Employment in education stood at 144,200 in Q1 2012 - up 2.2% (or 3,100) on Q4 2011 and down 2.2% (-3,200) on Q1 2011. Since Q1 2007, employment in the sector grew by 4.64% or +6,400.
• Employment levels in Health and social work activities fell q/q by 1.96% (-2,000) but are up on Q1 2011 by 1.72% (+4,000). Compared to Q1 2007, Q1 2012 employment in the sector is up 6.57% (+14,600). 
• The two sectors above represent front-line services in their definition.  Between them, during the austerity period the two sub-sectors added 29,700 new jobs.

And lastly, two charts on dependencies ratios. Without any comment.