Latest SEEK Australia Data Shows A 39.7% Month-on-month Growth In Jobs Advertised

STATE OF THE NATION: JOB ADS

The latest SEEK Employment data shows a 39.7% month-on-month growth in jobs advertised. 

The industries contributing most significantly to month-on-month job ad growth are Hospitality & Tourism (up 138%), Trades & Services (up 36%) and Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics (up 33%).

Kendra Banks, Managing Director, SEEK ANZ comments, “We continued to see promising signs within the employment market during May, with all states and most industry sectors showing positive month-on-month job ad growth.

Looking at the states, it’s interesting to see Victorian job ads bouncing back (up 48.1% m/m) at a faster rate than New South Wales (up 31.1% m/m), despite easing restrictions at a later date and maintaining strict social isolation measures. And while their state borders remained closed, Queensland is also showing signs of improvement, with job ads growing at 48.4% month-on-month.

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY SECTORS

SEEK employment data shows a direct correlation between restrictions easing and job ad volume growth.

Kendra Banks, Managing Director, SEEK ANZ comments, “We are encouraged to see industries which were hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic rebounding at a good pace. Hospitality & Tourism is up 138% month-on-month, with Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria performing very well (see Table 1). Authorities gave businesses the green light to restart their operations, resulting in increased hiring activity. Top jobs in the sector included chefs and cooks and front of house staff.

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Trades & Services also made a strong contribution to job ad volumes, up 36% month-on-month in May. After being closed for several months, nail salons, hairdressers and other personal maintenance services are expected to see an increase in consumer demand, which could be why the top jobs for Trades & Services included hair & beauty services.

As businesses looked to recommence their operations with social distancing in place, additional security to manage crowds, and signage to communicate to customers could explain why the top jobs were security services and painters & sign writers.

Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics grew by 33% in May, with analysis and reporting roles, quality control and assembly and process work being among the top jobs in the sector. Warehouse and road transport roles also remain strong, which aligns with increased demand from non-essential businesses as they reopened during May.

Of all of the sectors, Professional Services has been slower to bounce back, which could be a result of a range of factors including reduced activity and people continuing to work from home. This was reflected in job ad volumes, where we saw key sectors such as Information, Communication & Technology increase only marginally, by 1%, while Insurance and Superannuation was down by 2% month-on-month in May 2020”.

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