Tasmania job ad growth outperforms mainland consistently since 2014

• SEEK job ads up 8.7 per cent in July compared to this time last year
• Tasmanian Healthcare & Medical sector is experiencing the fastest growth in the state

New job ads across the nation have recorded a year on year rise of 8.7 per cent to July, according to the latest data from SEEK.

Across Australia, the sectors with the greatest growth in employment opportunities were Mining, Resources & Energy and Farming, Animals & Conservation – both saw a 37 per cent increase in job opportunities in July 2018 compared to July 2017. Closely following was the Government & Defence sector, where job ads were up 36 per cent year-on-year (YoY).

Some of Australia’s biggest employing industries also recorded strong growth in July. Job ads in the Healthcare & Medical sector grew 18 per cent YoY, while job ads in the Trades & Services and Information & Communication Technology sectors both grew by 17 per cent YoY.  These three sectors were the biggest contributors to overall national job ad growth, and account for 29.2 per cent of all available opportunities in Australia. 

Kendra Banks, Managing Director ANZ, SEEK, said: “The new financial year has brought strong employment opportunities with it. Even though July’s national figure of 8.7 per cent is lower than the average YoY growth rate for FY18 of 13.7 per cent, SEEK data shows strong double digit results across the top 20 sectors. This suggests continuous growth over the coming months, creating a positive outlook for job creation across the nation.”

Figure 1. SEEK job ad YoY growth, July 2018 vs July 2017

FOCUS: THE TASMANIAN TIGER

SEEK data shows that Tasmania has outperformed mainland Australia consistently since 2014, with job ad figures accelerating in more recent months. In July, Tasmania reported job ad growth of 26.8 per cent YoY, three times that of Australia which grew by 8.7 per cent in the same time period.

Figure 2. Tasmania outperforms the mainland in job ad growth

Tasmanian-based businesses are also reporting high business confidence and very favourable business conditions according to NAB’s July Business Confidence Index. The state recorded +19 business confidence index points in July, the strongest in Australia and ahead of larger States Queensland (+17 points) and Victoria (+16 points).

A number of factors have seen the State take on a new lease of life, including Tasmania’s recent tourism and hospitality boom, supported by key attractions such as the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), an improvement in traditional industries such as the dairy industry and more recently, population growth driven by overseas and interstate migration.

The sectors that have driven job ad growth in Tasmania between from 2014 and to 2018 include Trades & Services (16 per cent), Healthcare & Medical (14 per cent) and Hospitality & Tourism (12 per cent).

Figure 3. Top 11 sectors driving Tasmanian Job ad growth between 2014 and 2018

Kendra Banks, Managing Director ANZ, SEEK, said: “With Tasmania consistently outperforming the mainland, it appears that the larger population has been bolstered by economic development and investment that has driven business and jobs growth.

“Tassie’s investment in its competitive strengths such as tourism and agriculture, along with a renewed commitment to state infrastructure, has led to a surge in job ads across sectors such as Trades & Services, Medical & Healthcare and Hospitality & Tourism. The challenge for the State now is whether it can allocate enough jobs to this new, growing workforce.”

TASMANIAN HEALTHCARE & MEDICAL VITALS STRONG 

Across Australia, the Healthcare & Medical sector is the biggest contributor to job ad growth; with the trend carrying across to Tasmania. The Tasmanian Healthcare & Medical sector saw the biggest growth at 42 per cent YoY (July 2017 to July 2018).  This is leagues ahead of the sector’s national job ad growth of just 12 per cent for the same time period.

Within the Healthcare & Medical Sector, Aged Care Nursing has seen the largest job ad growth in Tasmania in July 2018 compared to July 2017, accounting for 13 per cent of jobs advertised in the sector. The state’s population has a median age of 42, making it home to the oldest population in Australia.

Kendra Banks, Managing Director ANZ, SEEK, said: “Due to Tasmania’s aging population there has been a change in the balance of job ads in the Healthcare & Medical sector. Job ads for aged care roles have been growing at a much faster rate the other healthcare and medical roles responding to the increase demand of the State’s residents.”

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About SEEK (ASX:SEK)
 
SEEK’s purpose is to help people live more fulfilling and productive working lives and help organisations succeed. SEEK makes a positive contribution to people’s lives on a global scale. 

SEEK is the global leader in the creation and operation of online employment markets. Globally SEEK has relationships with over 800,000 hirers and 180 million candidates. 

SEEK makes a positive contribution to people’s lives through connecting more people to relevant job opportunities using its marketplace scale and technology to build radically more efficient and effective employment marketplaces. 

SEEK is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, and has been listed in the Top 20 Most Innovative Companies Globally by Forbes, and Number One in Australia. 

SEEK has been recognised by AON Hewitt as an Employer of Choice for eleven years and is passionate about it’s company's culture. SEEK is a leader in workplace diversity and inclusion.  

For 20 years SEEK has been an integral part of Australians’ job-search process, and as the country’s leading employment marketplace is uniquely positioned to empower Australians with career, education and volunteer opportunities to create productive and fulfilling working lives.

About the SEEK Employment Report

The SEEK Employment Report provides a comprehensive overview of the Australian Employment Marketplace. The report includes the SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which is the first Australia aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market demand.

It also includes the SEEK New Job Ad Index which measures only new job ads posted within the reported month to provide a clean measure of demand for labour across all classifications.

SEEK’s total job ad volume (not disclosed in this report) includes duplicated job advertisements and refreshed job ads. As a result, the SEEK New Job Ad Index does not always match the movement in SEEK’s total job ad volume.

Disclaimer: The Data should be viewed and regarded as standalone information and should not be aggregated with any other information whether such information has been previously provided by SEEK Limited, ("SEEK"). The Data is given in summary form and whilst care has been taken in its preparation, SEEK makes no representations whatsoever about its completeness or accuracy. SEEK expressly bears no responsibility or liability for any reliance placed by you on the Data, or from the use of the Data by you. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately.