Recruitment group Hays, which last week announced an underlying 8 per cent rise in third-quarter net fees, is to create 60 new graduate roles in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick.

The company currently employs 100 staff in Ireland and more than 8,700 worldwide.

Managing director of Hays Ireland Richard Eardley said the rebound in the economy was leading to increased demand for recruitment staff.

“Employment is increasing, new roles are opening up and there is also greater mobility in the jobs market. For the first time in recent years there are more opportunities to get jobs with good pay and strong career progression prospects,” he said.

“At Hays, we are seeing a jobs surge in key areas such as construction, financial services and technology. As the nature of work and employees’ roles become ever more specialised and niche, recruitment has also become more sophisticated,” Mr Eardley added.

Hayes said it expects second-half operating profit to be slightly ahead of its first-half level of £81.5 million (€112.7m).

The group reported net fees of £724.9 million and operating profit of £140.3 million last year.