Chart: the states and industries that are having a jobs boom

Employees in the mining and government and defence sectors saw the greatest growth across January 2018 to January 2019. (Photos: Getty, Seek)

Hourly wage growth had a lower-than-expected increase of 0.54 per cent in the December quarter, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released this week.

But it’s not bad news for all Aussies: if job ad growth is anything to go by, some states and some industries have proven there are still lucrative employment opportunities for Australians.

Tasmania saw a staggering 18.9 per cent uptick in job ads in January this year compared to the same time last year, blowing all the other states and territories out of the water.

Western Australia came in second at 5.3 per cent job ad growth, followed by the ACT at 2.8 per cent.

(Source: Seek)

But the area that performed worst in creating new jobs was the Northern Territory, with a decline in job ad growth of 9.5 per cent. South Australians have also been struggling with job opportunities, with a 2.6 per cent decline.

When categorised by industry, miners on the job hunt were the winners: job ad growth in the mining, resources and energy sector soared by 21.7 per cent, followed by government and defence (19.2 per cent) and healthcare and medical (14.4 per cent).

“When we look at the diverse range of industries, it comes as no surprise that the mining sector still continues to dominate the employment market,” said SEEK Australia and New Zealand managing director Kendra Banks.

“However, it is interesting to see the increased demand in job roles for the public sector, particularly for government & defence candidates.”

In contrast, real estate agents and construction workers across Australia would have lost their jobs with -15.6 per cent and -14.1 per cent job ad growth respectively.

(Source: Seek)

However, the tide could be turning for construction workers: data from the Department of Jobs and Small Business has earmarked the construction industry as one of the industries set to be a major driver of employment growth by 2023.

Job prospects for designers, architects and those in the media, advertising and arts industry were also dire, with January this year seeing 13.7 per cent and 12.6 per cent less job ads than the same time 12 months ago.

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