The Morgan McKinley Employment Monitor for January has shown a positive start to the jobs market for the year, with the number of professional jobs up 42pc from December. The year-on-year comparison with 2012 shows an increase of 4pc in job opportunities.

There were some specific trends relating to the accountancy profession, most notably those in risk and insolvency. Karen O'Flaherty, Chief Operations Officer of Morgan McKinley said, “Senior risk advisory professionals within financial services were in high demand this month – this echoes the London financial services market and is a result of regulatory pressures that institutions are facing. We expect that with the passing of the Personal Insolvency Bill 2012, there will also be a demand for professionals with expertise in this specialisation.”

See the full Employment Monitor here.

CPA Ireland would like to congratulate CPA Member Peter Sheridan, who has been appointed as Group Financial Controller of Lakeland Diaries.

Peter has worked with Lakeland Dairies since 1983 in various management roles and has been the Financial Controller of Dairy Operations since 2006.  He is a Certified Public Accountant and an MBA graduate of Smurfit School of Business, UCD.  He recently participated in the Strategic Leadership Programme for Chief Financial Officers programme run by Enterprise Ireland and Stanford University.

Lakeland Dairies is the second largest dairy processing co-operative and overall fourth largest dairy processor on the island of Ireland with annual revenues of €470 million.

Find out more about CPA Members and the diverse areas they work in by reading their profiles here.

Name: Elaine Byron

Company: Abbott Medical Optics Division

Qualifications: IATI, CPA

Elaine considers becoming a qualified accountant as her greatest career achievement to date. Originally, Elaine started as a PA to a financial controller and with her manager's encouragement, she began to pursue her accountancy qualification.

Her most valuable piece of advice to budding accountants is dedication. "Have faith and keep going, especially when studying part-time. It may seem like you are constantly working and studying with no free time but it really is worth it in the end."

Read Elaine's full profile here.

The Morgan McKinley Salary Survey for 2013 has found that professionals in the accounting and finance industry continue to be in high demand this year. The Survey describes a 'cautious optimism in the Irish professional jobs market', with over half of permanent hiring managers expecting an increase in headcount in their organisations in 2013.

Other sectors experiencing growth include sales and marketing and information technology.

The Salary Survey also highlights the emergence of a two tier economy in Ireland, a finding of the CPA Entrepreneurship Report in 2012, as large corporations and multinationals continue to prosper while the indigenous sector remains stifled, hampering economic growth.

View the full Salary Survey for 2013 here.