Vacancies top 300,000

Recruitment specialists estimated there were more than 300,000 unfilled job vacancies in mid-December.

Healthcare and specific areas in the IT sector had been largely unaffected by the economic crisis, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.

But jobs in certain areas are shrinking, the chief executive officer of Interviewgold.com Joe McDermott said.

"For example, in the banking and finance sector and in customer services, not just graduates but all job seekers are going to find it more difficult to find employment," he explained.

The REC said more agencies were seeing highly skilled workers seeking new opportunities with tightening demand in key sectors.

Public sector jobs were looking more appealing as the government announced it was borrowing more cash in the Pre-Budget Report, which would impact on pay and conditions.

Meanwhile, the private sector had been finding it harder to borrow money in today's critical economic climate.