SEEK Employment Snapshot - signs of growth levelling out

This snapshot complements the SEEK Employment Trends report that is released monthly. SEEK will publish regular insights based on job ad movements compared to a baseline of April 2020.

Signs of growth levelling out 

Kendra Banks, Managing Director, SEEK ANZ comments: “In the fortnight ended 31 May we saw an increase in job advertising of 49.2% compared to the average of the month of April. This is a further uplift from 26.8% and 39.7% in the previous two-week periods. Whilst this continued growth is positive, we are seeing signs that our job ad volume data is showing a slower rate of growth compared to the start of May. 

“As we head into June, we traditionally see a slowing of job ad posting due to the end of the financial year with a boost in July and August when budgets are reset. It will be interesting to see if the easing of restrictions, the economic measures put in place by the government and the new financial year translates to more jobs advertised in July. 

“All states and territories showed growth in the last two weeks. Queensland is leading the pack with 62.5% more jobs advertised in the last two weeks compared to April’s average.”

The states showed: 

• Queensland up by 62.5%
• Tasmania up by 62.2%
• South Australia up by 59.1%
• Victoria up by 58.0%     
• Northern Territory up by 57.5%
• Western Australia up by 43.6%
• New South Wales up by 39.9%
• Australian Capital Territory up by 23.9% 

Figure one: SEEK new job ads by state for 2020

Industry Sectors

Figure two: Top 5 sectors by state and volume including percentage growth compared to April 2020 (n/a means that volumes are too small to be reported)

Roles within the Consumer Services sector continue to grow, showing an increase of 150.7% in the last two weeks when compared to the April average.

The sector includes Administration & Office Support, Hospitality and Tourism, Sales, Retail and Consumer Products, Real Estate and Property, Call Centre & Customer Service, Sport & Recreation and Advertising, Arts & Media. These sectors were hardest hit by lockdown restrictions, and as we see restrictions ease this is translating to an uptick in job ad volumes. Other sectors also showed positive growth, and include:  

• Construction increasing 49.3% and;
• Public Sector increasing 44.3% and;
• Industrial 28.7% and;
• Professional Services increasing 21.3%.

Figure three: SEEK new job ads grouped by sectors for 2020

Figure four: Weeks 21 & 22 new job ad difference compared to April 2020 average (sectors with * are the top 10 sectors by job ad volume)

Sector breakdowns:

• Consumer Services is comprised of Administration & Office Support, Hospitality and Tourism, Sales, Retail and Consumer Products, Real Estate and Property, Call Centre & Customer Service, Sport & Recreation and Advertising, Arts & Media
• Public Sector is comprised of Education & Training, Healthcare & Medical, Community Services & Development and Government & Defence
• Construction is comprised of Trades & Services, Construction, Engineering and Design and Architecture 
• Professional Services is comprised of Accounting, Human Resources & Recruitment, Marketing & Communications, Banking & Financial Services, Legal, Science & Technology, Consulting & Strategy, Information & Communication Technology and insurance & Superannuation 
• Industrial is comprised of Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics, Farming, Animals & Conservation and Mining, Resources & Energy.