SEEK Employment Report - Record job ads and growth across the country in January

JANUARY 2022 AT A GLANCE
STATE OF THE NATION: 

  • January saw the most job ads on seek.com.au in the company’s 25-year history.
  • SEEK job ads grew 4.9% month-on-month (m/m), which was 39.6% higher year-on-year (y/y) and 33% more than January 2019.
  • Applications per job ad increased for the second consecutive month, growing by 5.7% m/m.
 
STATE OF THE STATES & TERRITORIES: 
  • All states and territories saw an increase m/m, y/y and, in comparison to January 2019.
  • A record number of job ads were recorded in Western Australia (+5.5% m/m).
  • Queensland (+5.4% m/m) and Tasmania (+3.8% m/m) also had record high job ads on site.
 
STATE OF THE INDUSTRIES: 
  • The top three drivers of change in January were Hospitality & Tourism, Trades & Services roles and Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics.
  • Healthcare & Medical was among the industries that declined m/m, dropping 1.3%.

 STATE OF THE NATION: RECORD JOB ADS AND GROWTH ACROSS THE COUNTRY
 
January saw record-breaking job ad numbers nationally, 4.9% more than in December, according to the latest SEEK Employment Report. The new figures represent a 39.6% increase y/y and are 36.6% higher than those recorded pre-pandemic in January 2019.
 
All states and territories recorded m/m and y/y growth, with the number of applications per job ad also rising for the second consecutive month – this time by 5.7%.
 
Kendra Banks, Managing Director, SEEK ANZ, comments: 
 
“We are experiencing the great job boom, with record job ad numbers on seek.com.au in recent months, and January’s figures the highest in 25 years,” Banks said.
 
“There were increases to job ads across the board, as all states and territories experienced month-on-month and year-on-year growth, and Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania all recorded the highest number of job ads in SEEK’s history.
 
“Despite applications per job ad rising by 5.7% and visits on site remaining high, the total number of applications are still low. The unemployment rate, announced as being at a 13-year low by the ABS last month, is evidence of the small pool from which hirers are trying to engage new talent.” 
 
Businesses and candidates returned to job searching after the summer holiday period quicker than the previous two years, with job ads on site lifting from as early as the first week of the year, SEEK data shows.

Table 1: National week-on-week job ad growth/decline comparing January 2022 to: i) January 2021 and ii) January 2020

Kendra Banks continues: “Businesses bounced back incredibly quickly after Christmas. The first week of January saw a 12% year-on-year increase in job ads and by week two there were 42% more job ads on site than the same time last year; a trend which continued for the rest of the month.  
 
“Traditionally we would see job ads begin to increase again from mid-to-late January, yet hirers were clearly keen to get a jump on the new year and begin their talent search early.” 
 
Table 2: National, state and territory job ad growth/decline comparing January 2022 to: i) December 2021 (m/m); ii) January 2021 (y/y) and iii) January 2019.

STATE OF THE STATES AND TERRITORIES: ALL STATES SEE M/M AND Y/Y GROWTH, THREE AT RECORD BREAKING LEVELS 
 
All states and territories saw increases to job ads m/m, y/y and compared to the same month in 2019, with Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania each recording the most job ads on site in the 25 years of SEEK.
 
New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland were the biggest contributors to growth for the month, recording, 4.6%, 5.3% and 5.4% more job ads m/m respectively.
 
The Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Northern Territory also saw m/m increases of 2.8%, 2.1% and 0.1% respectively.
 
Kendra Banks continues: “Our most populous cities drove job ads up in January, with 4.6% more on site in NSW, 5.3% more in Victoria and a 5.5% boost in Queensland.” 
 
“In addition to enjoying the biggest month-on-month increase of all states at 5.5%, Western Australia also recorded the greatest boost compared to pre-pandemic times, with 75.2% more job ads than in January 2019. The most in-demand roles were in Trades & Services, Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics and Mining, Resources & Energy.”
 
Figure 1: State and territory job ad volumes – January 2019 to January 2022


Figure 2: National SEEK Job Ad percentage change by state (January 2022 vs December 2021) 

STATE OF THE INDUSTRIES: TRADES AND MANUFACTURING RISE, HOSPITALITY & TOURISM AND HEALTHCARE & MEDICAL JOBS FALL 
 
Two of the biggest hiring industries, Trades & Services, and Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics, continued to grow over the past month. There were 9.5% more roles recorded in Trades & Services m/m, up 36.0% y/y.
 
This quarter the Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics industry has posted 53.0% more jobs than the same quarter last year. Job ads in Healthcare & Medical fell 1.3% m/m nationally, yet it remained the second largest hiring market after Trades & Services.
 
Information & Communication Technology roles, which have been falling m/m since they peaked last October, experienced a 7.3% rise in ads nationally last month and a 10% increase in Victoria alone.  Hospitality & Tourism roles fell a further 13.2% in January, after a decline in December, yet the industry still recorded a 36.6% increase in job ads y/y.
 
Kendra Banks comments: “There remain plenty of opportunities for candidates looking to begin their job search in the new year, particularly in our top three hiring markets; Trades & Services, Healthcare & Medical and Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics.
 
“The Hospitality & Tourism industry saw the biggest fall in job ad numbers last month. As one of the industries hardest hit by the pandemic and the restrictions it brought about, coupled with the seasonal nature of a lot of the roles, the 13.2% decrease in job ad numbers was not surprising, but no less significant. The reopening of our international borders from later this month will no doubt drive demand for more workers in this space.
 
“What we continue to see despite industries fluctuating slightly month-to-month, is an ongoing rise in demand for good talent in all states and territories. This truly is the great job boom, and we do not expect this to change anytime soon. 

 
“For any talent who has been putting off beginning the search for their next role, there really has never been a better time to start.”
 
Figure 3: National SEEK Job Ad percentage change by industry (January 2022 vs December 2021).

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

MEDIA NOTE: When reporting SEEK data, we request that you attribute SEEK as the source and refer to SEEK as an employment marketplace.