SEEK employment summary - January 2016

If you were hoping the New Year would bring you a new job, you may be in luck. Data from SEEK Employment Trends showed the number of jobs advertised on SEEK rose by just over 6% in January compared to the same time last year.

But before you polish up your resume, bear in mind that demand is far from equal across the country and while some areas showed promising signs, other key job sectors got off to a sluggish start.

• State of play. The slowdown in the resources sector caused a decrease in job ads in Western Australia (WA), the Northern Territory (NT) and parts of Queensland (QLD), but things were looking up outside the mining states.
  
  The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) led the charge with job ads on SEEK 19% higher year-on-year. New South Wales (NSW) saw a 13% increase in job ads, Tasmania (TAS) rose by 11%, Victoria (VIC) grew by 9% and South Australia (SA) crept up by 2% compared to the same time last year.
   
• Industries on the rise and fall. Government and Defence showed the strongest demand across the country, with job ads rising more than 44% year-on-year. Demand for Education and Training roles also increased by almost 12% while Marketing and Communications grew by more than 8% compared to January last year.
  
  Year-on-year growth of nearly 6% in Healthcare and Medical roles and the low Australian dollar gave the Hospitality and Tourism sector a boost of just over 4%.
  
  The Mining, Resources and Energy sector continued to show the weakest signs and job ads declined by more than 22% compared to the same time last year. Demand in the Insurance and Superannuation sector also showed a year-on-year low, with 13% fewer jobs advertised.
   
• How tough is the competition? The SEEK Employment Index (SEI), which measures the availability of candidates for advertised positions, showed a mild overall tightening of the labour market in January. This suggests conditions for candidates have improved.
  
  The number of applications per job fell in NSW, VIC and the ACT. This is consistent with improved labour demand reflected in stronger job advertising. 
  
  Applications per ad rose in WA and SA and remained high in the NT. Applications per ad tightened in QLD, and TAS remained high and stable.
   
• Salary changes. Average advertised salaries have stabilised after showing a mild trend increase following a significant decline from 2012 to early 2014. In January this year, the average advertised salary was around $79,850.
  
  The weak job market in Mining, Resources and Energy was reflected in lower salaries for the sector, with the average dropping to around $112,675 in January. Salaries in the Banking and Financial Services sector stabilised for the month at an average of $88,000.
  
  Sectors experiencing the highest demand also saw an upward trend in advertised salaries. The average salary for Government and Defence roles was also up around $87,784 in January. Healthcare and Medical salaries rose to almost $88,411 while Hospitality and Tourism roles commanded an average of $59,376.

While there were promising results in January, with the year-on-year job ad growth in key states largely offsetting the weakness in WA. The good news is that most advertised salaries stabilised for the month.

To improve your chances at securing that dream role, create a SEEK profile today.

Year-on-year growth of nearly 6% in Healthcare and Medical roles and the low Australian dollar gave the Hospitality and Tourism sector a boost of just over 4%.