Labour Market Mismatch Report

A healthy labour market is one in which the level of employment is high, but also one in which people are well-sorted into jobs that make best use of their talents and training.

The range of skills and experience needed to do each job varies greatly, as do the skills and experience possessed by people looking for work. The difference between jobseekers’ skills and experience and employers’ requirements is known as ‘labour market mismatch’, which is a key factor in the functioning of the labour market.

SEEK, as Australia’s number one employment marketplace, has extensive data that can be used to measure the extent of mismatch in the labour market. This data comes from both sides of the market: both labour demand, using job advertisements, and labour supply, using job applications, can be measured at granular levels of detail.

The SEEK Labour Market Mismatch Indicator (LMMI) measures the difference between the occupations that are in most demand from employers, and the occupations to which jobseekers are submitting the most applications. It measures mismatch across occupations within regions.

The following report outlines Labour Market Mismatch at the national, state /territory and regional level and across occupational groups.