More than 250 jobs in nursing homes throughout the State remain unfilled, according to a recent study by Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI).
The majority of these are full-time positions in the areas of nursing and care assistance. However, catering, maintenance and activities organisation vacancies are also available.
The survey of 103 NHI members highlights the increasing demand for skilled labour in the sector which NHI chief executive Tadhg Daly told The Irish Times was "essentially driven by the demand".
“We have an ageing population and with that it will mean there will be a growing number of service requirements for older people,” he said.
“People coming to nursing homes have more specialist needs so you do need specialised staff.”
The results come as the standardised rate of unemployment in Ireland is 13.5 per cent, according to the Central Statistics Office, and Mr Daly said the 256 jobs available were just "the tip of the iceberg".
“Our sector has grown rapidly in recent years and with the right support framework and stimulus will continue to expand for the foreseeable future,” he said.
The ESRI forecasts that more than 13,000 long-term care places will be created by 2021. This is in addition to some 7,000 positions created between 2003 and 2009.
“One of the issues that we’re trying to raise is workforce planning,” Mr Daly said. “We need to ensure that we have the numbers [of staff] and skills in the workforce. We’re trying to raise the whole debate on having skilled staff to meet the needs of an ageing population.”
A clearly defined Department of Health co-ordinated strategy for the sector could also increase the rate of new jobs created to 900 per year, or up to 10,000 over the next decade, according to NHI.
The announcement of the vacancies coincides with Nursing Homes Week 2013.