Job growth continues into 2018

The latest SEEK data has revealed 14.7 per cent more new job ads on SEEK, as of January 2018 compared to 12 months ago.

The strongest sectors overall are Mining, Resources & Energy (54 per cent), Trades & Services (31 per cent), Engineering (25 per cent), Science & Technology (22 per cent) and Government & Defence (21 per cent).

Kendra Banks, Managing Director SEEK ANZ, says the outlook is bright for jobseekers, with those in certain sectors seeing a growing range of opportunities.

"We’re seeing a strong national demand for STEM skills – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – which reflects a global talent shortage. This ’talent shortage’ has been identified by Australian CEOs as one of their top business risk areas, but it also creates huge competitive job opportunities for Australians with engineering and IT skills," said Banks. 

In terms of increased opportunity in Science and Technology roles, Victoria leads the market, with 30 per cent jobs growth. This is followed by a 24 per cent increase in QLD, and 21 percent in NSW.

“Another significant area of growth is evident in Government & Defence. This is driven by a strong increase in the large employing sub-sector of Local Government. Across Australia new job ads in Local Government are up 31 per cent with more than 1,200 opportunities available. Strong increases in job opportunities but off lower bases were seen in the Navy and Police & Corrections.”

Sport & Recreation, Banking & Financial Services and Real Estate & Property all showed relatively weak growth, while nationwide, the only sector to show a decline was Arts, Advertising & Media, which dropped 8 per cent y/y. 

Figure 1. Job Ad Growth across Australian industries on SEEK, November 17 to January 2018 quarter compared to 12 months ago

 

 

 

STATES & TERRITORIES

New South Wales and Victoria saw steady month-on-month growth, up 0.2 per cent and 0.5 per cent respectively, following strong growth in December. The weakest performer was the ACT, recording an 8.2 per cent drop in January, down from 7.3 per cent growth in December.

Figure 2. Year on year change in SEEK new job ads by state, seasonally adjusted 

STATE

Y / Y % Change in SEEK new job ads

NSW

+ 10.7 %

VIC

+ 17 %

QLD

+16.6 %

SA

+ 22.8 %

WA

+18.6 %

TAS

+ 26.4 %

NT

+ 27 %

ACT

+10.6 %

Figure 3. Large sector performance by state

SECTOR PERFORMANCE BY STATE

STATE

 Nov 16- Jan 17 vs Nov 17-Jan 18:
Greatest increase in new job opportunities 

% Change

Nov 16- Jan 17 vs Nov 17-Jan 18:
Greatest decline in new job opportunities

% Change

ACT

Construction

41

Consulting & Strategy

-30

NSW

Mining, Resources & Energy

60

Advertising, Arts & Media

-18

NT

Mining, Resources & Energy

67

Government & Defence

-26

QLD

Mining, Resources & Energy

71

Banking & Financial Services

-11

SA

Mining, Resources & Energy

68

Sport & Recreation

-17

TAS

Education & Training

80

Banking & Financial Services

-27

VIC

Mining, Resources & Energy

37

Insurance & Superannuation

+2

WA

Engineering

56

Real Estate & Property

-22

AUSTRALIA

Mining, Resources & Energy

54

Adversiting, Arts & Media

-8


INDUSTRY FOCUS – GOVERNMENT AND DEFENCE

A key performer among different sectors in January was Government and Defence, with 21 per cent y/y growth. The large advertising sectors of Local and State and Federal Government posted healthy increases in job opportunities up 31 per cent, 14 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. 

According to the SEEK Laws of Attraction research, salary and compensation is still the stand out driver for candidates in the government and defence industry, ranking as number one for 17.1% of candidates. However, as many as two in three (64%) would be motivated by other financial compensation such as extra superannuation contributions.

Work-life balance was ranked number two (13.2%) among candidates and flexible working hours is particularly attractive. Job security came in third (12.2%) this year compared to 2012 and has swapped spots with career development, which is now the fourth driver of attraction. 

Figure 4. Government and Defence change in new job ad opportunities by state

STATE

Year on Year change in new job opportunities %
Nov 17 - Jan 18 vs Nov 16 - Jan 17

ACT

 23%

NSW

30%

NT

-26%

QLD

33%

SA

18%

TAS

62%

VIC

15%

WA

3%

Download Employment Data Report

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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.

About the SEEK Laws of Attraction Portal 

Laws of Attraction is a SEEK research study drawn from a comprehensive survey of nearly 6,000 job candidates in Australia. For more information about the SEEK Laws of Attraction survey and the terms and conditions governing the use of this data, click here.

To start exploring the Laws of Attraction portal, visit: http://insightsresources.seek.com.au/lawsofattraction

About SEEK

SEEK is a diverse group of companies, comprised of a strong portfolio of online employment, educational, commercial and volunteer businesses. SEEK operates across 18 countries with exposure to over 4 billion people and 28 per cent of GDP. SEEK makes a positive contribution to people’s lives on a global scale. SEEK is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, where it is a top 50 company with a market capitalisation close to A$6billion and has been listed in the Top 20 Most Innovative Companies Globally by Forbes, and Number One in Australia.