Concerns have been raised about agency work rules currently in existence in Ireland.

The European Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (Eurociett) has raised issues with the breakdown of negotiations on the European Union Directive on Temporary Agency Work in the Republic of Ireland and hopes the guidelines can be adopted by the nation as "soon as possible".

Firstly, it is thought there will be a "lack of flexibility" in the way such workers are treated in Ireland, which could "jeopardize" thousands of employees within the country.

Additionally, Eurociett believes the lack of clarity regarding the directive - which was initially set to come into force today (December 5th) - could lead to further job disruptions within the "already troubled" region.

According to recent figures from the Irish Central Statistics Office, some 14.5 per cent of the population was registered as unemployed during the month of November, marking a small rise from the 14.4 per cent noted in October.

Posted by Alex Donnell