Yahoo Finance More Aussie jobs up for grabs than ever before
The number of jobs advertised online has increased 75 per cent compared to this time last year when the labour market took a beating from COVID-19.
The March 2021 Seek Employment Report saw the highest number of job ads posted in the site's 23 year history.
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Seek managing director for Australia and New Zealand Kendra Banks said despite the hit to jobs brought on by the pandemic, the market is recovering its losses.
“What a difference a year makes,” she said. “It is fantastic to see so many jobs available and a real testament to Australian employers’ hard work and resilience over the last year.”
“There are factors that are driving these strong numbers that are important to consider, including many of the jobs currently being advertised are for roles that were displaced in the last year.”
And employers seem to be having a tough time filling the positions. The Seek report shows applications per ad are at their lowest point since 2012 after already falling 14 per cent in February compared to 2020.
“There are likely many reasons contributing to this decline such as: a reduced labour supply impacting the ability to fill roles, workers displaying a more cautious approach to career moves following a turbulent year, and with more jobs available, there is a knock-on effect to the number of applications per job ad posted,” Banks said.
“As we contrast the current labour market conditions to 12 months ago, the change is nothing short of remarkable."
Where positions are booming
If you’re on the hunt for a new position consider setting up shop in Tasmania, South Australia or the Northern Territory, all of which broke their job ads records.
New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland posted the most jobs but also have larger populations.
Last month’s report found that all states and territories had returned to pre-COVID levels, and that trend has continued.
Looking at the month-on-month numbers, all states and territories have reported a growth in job ad numbers again, with Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and New South Wales being particularly strong.
The only exception was the ACT which had a very small decline of 0.1%.
“In March, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory all recorded the highest level of
ad listings ever observed in their states,” Banks said.
“The ACT, Queensland and Victoria are close to their highest ever levels, whereas Western Australia’s job ad volumes are nearly equalling that of the 2012 mining boom.”
Industries in need
It’s no surprise that hospitality and tourism are most in need of people after suffering the most when the lockdowns came into effect.
“We have seen strong growth across some key industries, with hospitality and tourism having a notably strong start to the year, increasing by 34.8 per cent month-on-month,” Banks said.
“There was an easing of restrictions in some major capitals meaning that customer numbers could be increased, also incentives were introduced discounting flights and accommodation as well as businesses preparing for the Easter holidays.”
For the second month running, every industry, except farming, animals and conservation have seen growth.
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