A Question of Supply and Demand

The National Skills Database (NSD) was developed in 2003 by the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) in FÁS on behalf of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. It has been designed to collate all available information about the supply and demand of skills in Ireland. As such, it provides a platform for the timely analysis and forecasting of the labour market at occupational level.

In general, the Standard Occupational Classifications (SOC) 1990 and International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) coding systems are used as a proxy for skills. The key data currently included in the database comprises the following:

Employment data (provided by the Central Statistics Office Quarterly National Household Survey);

Education and training provision, participation and output (provided by the Higher  Education Authority, the Department of Education and Science, FETAC, FÁS and some private education and training providers);

First destination of third level students on graduation (provided by the Higher Education  Authority);

Employment permit data (provided by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and  Innovation);

Job vacancies (provided by FÁS, The Irish Times, http://www.irishjobs.ie/ and Recruitment  Agency Survey conducted by the SLMRU);

Job announcements and redundancy announcements (provided by FÁS newspaper  watch team)

Jobseeker data (provided by FÁS).

In 2010, the National Skills Database was extended to include an occupational employment forecasting model.

The information held in the database is used to support the work of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and FÁS. It is summarised and published in two annual reports: National Skills Bulletin and Monitoring Ireland’s Skills Supply: Trends in Education/Training Outputs.
Summary information by occupation is also published on the FÁS Career directions website.