SEEK Employment Report - National public holiday drove job ad decline in September
SEPTEMBER 2022 KEY FINDINGS:
NATIONAL INSIGHTS:
- Job ads declined 5.2% month-on-month (m/m) but are 15.5% higher year-on-year (y/y). The additional national public holiday had an impact on hiring activity in September.
- Applications per job ad grew 10.3% from July to August, the greatest monthly increase in over two years.
STATE & TERRITORY INSIGHTS:
- All states and territories declined in job ads m/m and rose in applications per job ad.
- The states and territories to record the biggest drop in job ads were Northern Territory (-7.5%), Queensland (-5.3%) and Western Australia (-5.1%).
- Tasmania (+18%), the Australian Capital Territory (+15%) and Victoria (+12%) recorded the greatest increase in applications per job ad from the month prior.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS:
- Job ads in every single industry declined m/m and quarter-on-quarter (q/q).
- Job ads in all but four industries increased y/y, the most notable increases being Hospitality & Tourism (+60.4%), Administration & Office Support (30.3%) and Education & Training (+35.5%).
Of the September data, Kendra Banks, Managing Director, SEEK ANZ, says:
“The unexpected national public holiday had an impact on hiring activity in September, resulting in a 5.2% drop in job ad volumes from August. Since May, there have been small declines in ad numbers, but not enough to call an end to the incredibly tight market. All sectors are still at higher job ad volumes than they were pre-pandemic.
“The incremental market easing has allowed for an increase in candidate application activity, with double digit growth in applications per job ad for the first time since April 2020.
“Pre-pandemic, what we would expect to see from August to October is a pickup in hiring for certain industries, particularly those in Retail & Consumer Services and Hospitality & Tourism ahead of the busy holiday season. While we know that demand for staff is greatly outweighing supply for many businesses in these industries, we have not yet seen the usual upward trend in hiring ahead of the end of the year.
“Over the past two years seasonal trends have been superseded by the impacts of the pandemic, and although we are no longer dealing with lockdowns restricting hiring habits, the consistently tight labour market, paired with increasing economic pressures, means this year has been, and continues to be, an atypical year for the job market.”
NATIONAL INSIGHTS
Job ads declined by 5.2% in September, the greatest monthly fall in the past twelve months, having been impacted by state and national public holidays. Job ads remain 15.5% higher y/y, and 42.5% higher than September 2019.
The decline was not exclusive to only one region or sector, with every state and territory recording a m/m decline as well as each of the 28 industries.
Applications per job ad rose by 10.3% m/m, the greatest rise since April 2020.
Figure 1: National SEEK job ad percentage change m/m September 2021 to September 2022
Table 1: National, state and territory job ad growth/decline comparing September 2022 to: i) August 2022 (m/m), ii) September 2021 (y/y) and iii) September 2019.
STATE & TERRITORY INSIGHTS
Each state and territory recorded a fall in job ad numbers in September.
The decline, which follows three months of incremental drops in job ad numbers, can be somewhat attributed to the additional public holiday which took place during the month, leading to decreased hiring activity.
The Northern Territory recorded the greatest monthly decline, dropping 7.5%, followed by Queensland which fell 5.3%.
The major contributor to job ad decline in our most populous states was led by drops in some of the largest hiring industries m/m:
Applications per job ad increased in all states and territories, most notably Tasmania (+18%), Australian Capital Territory (+15%) and Victoria (+12%).
Figure 2: Major state job ad volumes – September 2019 to September 2022
Figure 3: National SEEK Job Ad percentage change by state (September 2022 vs August 2022)
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Applications per job ad rose m/m in 26 out of the 28 industries, most notably by 22% in Hospitality & Tourism and 15% in Trades and Services.
Every industry recorded a drop in job ads in September, including the largest industries of Trades & Services (-7.1%), Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics (-8.4%) and Hospitality & Tourism (-5.4%).
A fall in Hospitality & Tourism was the major contributor to overall job ad decline in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, where Hospitality & Tourism job ads fell 14.0%, 9.8% and 8.8% respectively.
In comparison to last year, job ads in Hospitality & Tourism have risen 60.4%, Administration & Office Support are up 30.3% and Education & Training have increased 35.5%.
Apart from the Professional Services sector, where job ads are almost on par with levels recorded pre-pandemic, job ads in all sectors remain significantly higher than September 2019 levels. Job ads in Construction are 48.2% higher, in the Public sector are up 55.7%, in Consumer Services they are 60.1% greater and in the Industrial sector are up 68.3%.
Figure 4: National SEEK Job Ad percentage change by industry (September 2022 vs August 2022) – Ordered by job ad volume
Click for the latest SEEK Employment Report data or for more employment insights or career advice please visit SEEK’s Hiring Advice or SEEK's Career Advice.
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