Job ads on SEEK up 13.2 per cent y/y, best conditions since 2010

The latest SEEK data has revealed there were 13.2 per cent more new job ads on SEEK this August than 12 months ago, which signals the best conditions for jobseekers on SEEK since 2010.

Michael Ilczynski, Managing Director for SEEK Australia and New Zealand, said this August job ads on SEEK were at the highest levels since 2010, so it's a great time to be a jobseeker in Australia.

“These positive trends in advertising on SEEK point to an improving labour market and suggests that positive economic momentum, evident in the June quarter National Accounts GDP Report, is continuing into the second half of the year,” Ilczynski said.

Across Australia this August, the Information & Communication Technology, Trades & Services and the Healthcare & Medical industries offered the most job opportunities on SEEK.

“While off a low base, the Mining, Resources & Energy industry continued to have the greatest job ad growth of all industries on SEEK, up 72 per cent y/y this August,” said Ilczynski.

“The pick-up of exploration activities by mining companies, especially in Western Australia [WA], after cutbacks over the past few years, is driving job advertising growth on SEEK across the Mining, Resources & Energy industry.”

All states and territories this August enjoyed positive year on year job ad growth on SEEK.

“While off a lower base, Tasmania and the Northern Territory notched up the strongest growth in job ads on SEEK in August, up 33.8 per cent y/y and 23.7 per cent y/y respectively,” explained Ilczynski.

“The Queensland labour market has been recovering strongly since April, with advertising on SEEK up 20.3 per cent y/y this August. Trades & Services remains the top advertising industry across the state, up 44 per cent y/y.

“In WA, conditions were weaker but still positive, with job ads on SEEK up 14.8 per cent y/y. Fuelling this growth was strong advertising across Mining, Resources & Energy [up 52 per cent y/y], Trades & Services [up 26 per cent y/y] and Healthcare & Medical [up 6 per cent y/y].

“Advertising trends continue to be very positive in NSW [up 7.4 per cent y/y], Victoria [up 15.5 per cent y/y], South Australia [up 19.5 per cent], and the ACT [up 3.6 per cent y/y]. In these regions, the number of job ads on SEEK have all recovered to their pre-GFC levels,” Ilczynski continued.

INDUSTRY FOCUS — EDUCATION & TRAINING

Demand for childcare services in Australia has surged in recent years, and similarly job ads on SEEK have increased for childcare professionals.

The most job opportunities across the Education & Training industry on SEEK were for Childcare & Outside School Hours Care workers, and this has been an ongoing trend since 2010.

“In addition to being the most sought-after professionals across the Education & Training industry, new job ads on SEEK for Childcare & Outside School Hours Care workers have continued to enjoy year on year [y/y] advertising uplift, especially during the June to August quarter over the past three years,” he added.

“It's no surprise that childcare professionals are in demand on SEEK. Childcare is a booming sector across Australia.

“A recent review of the Australian Childcare industry by Colliers International in May 2016, revealed that 1.2 million children attend approximately 17,000 government approved childcare services nationwide, and those numbers have grown substantially over the last five years, recording an annual growth rate of 4.6 per cent,” said Ilczynski.

Another area of the Education & Training industry that had strong advertising on SEEK from June to August 2017 was Early Childhood Teaching. This field also enjoyed 14 per cent new job ads y/y.

“Tertiary Teaching, while off a low base, experienced the largest job ad growth of all the Education & Training fields on SEEK from June to August 2017, up 28 per cent y/y,” explained Ilczynski.

“A recent media report by Australian Financial Review stated that the Commonwealth Government is looking to double the number of onshore enrolments by 2025. Consequently, this may be allied to the increasing growth in job ads on SEEK for tertiary teaching positions, as well as management positions at tertiary institutions,” Ilczynski continued.

Nationally, job ads on SEEK for the Education & Training industry has grown a modest six per cent from June to August 2017 when compared to the same period last year, and the national average advertised annual salary across the industry during FY17 was $78,802, an increase of four per cent when compared to FY16.

Strong demand for candidates continues across the Education & Training industry, this suggests good conditions for job seekers. The top advertising states for jobs across this industry [from June to August 2017] were New South Wales [NSW], Victoria [VIC] and Queensland [QLD].

Employment Data Report