New Year, new job? Job searches spike

The number of Australians looking for a new job in 2017 has skyrocketed, according to jobs site Indeed.

Early January saw a 52 per cent spike in searches for a new job, compared to the average searches over 2016.

Also read: 50 highest earning jobs in Australia revealed

There was a whopping 627% spike in searches for nursing jobs Down Under, while teachers (+266%), data scientist (+140%), and flight attendant positions were the most sought-after roles typed into Indeed’s search bar in the New Year.

More than half (55%) of the searches for nursing jobs came from outside Australia, while overall 7% of the job hunters hailed from overseas.

Train driver jobs, which offered lucrative wages of about $100,000 during Australia’s mining boom were also among the most searched jobs.

Australian workers ranked number eight out of the top 10 countries whose jobseekers are most hungry to find a new job in the New Year, behind the likes of France, UK and the US.

The New Year is often a time people decided to change their life including their job.

The UK saw a spike in searches for job coach roles, Belgians were on the prowl for dietician jobs while in the US “Ruby developer” and ‘UX designer’ jobs were the rise.

On a global basis, the 627.4% growth in searches for nursing jobs is one of the largest trends Indeed identified.

“Nurses are one of the top jobs listed on the Australian National Skill shortage list,” said Chris McDonald, Australia and New Zealand managing director of Indeed.

“The unexpected resurgence of mining companies in 2016 seems to have led to a renewed interest in train driver roles with an 80 per cent increase in jobseeker interest,” he added.