While job ads jumped by 10.2 per cent on a month-on-month basis, the number of applications for each position had declined by 5.4 per cent.
The report showed national job ad volumes were 63.2 per cent higher nationally than in the same month in 2020 and up 44.0 per cent compared to 2019.
NSW had the highest growth in new job ads, recording a m/m increase of 20.3 per cent for the second month running. Victoria increased by 16.3 per cent m/m. All states and territories had more job ads than in October 2019.
“In October, SEEK had more jobs ads on-site than ever before. A combination of the lifting of restrictions in our two largest employment markets, NSW and Victoria, along with businesses getting ready for what will hopefully be a bumper holiday period has had a huge impact on this month’s job ad volumes,” said Kendra Banks, managing director, SEEK ANZ.
In NSW and Victoria, roles within hospitality and tourism led the way with a jump of 46.2 per cent in NSW and 123.8 per cent in Victoria.
Although job ads were at record levels, applications per ad are low compared to historical trends, said Ms Banks.
“One of the many factors that impact hirers who find it challenging to recruit is the very large number of open roles currently available. Despite site visits remaining high, there is still a hesitancy, particularly with customer-facing roles, with people not wanting to move jobs just yet,” she said.
Contributing to application decline, Ms Banks said recent SEEK data shows that 28 per cent of Australians are likely to consider changing jobs in the next six months.
“Traditionally the lead up to the end of the year is not a time to switch jobs. Therefore, we expect more movement early in 2022,” she said
The only two states to report a slight decline in job ads were Tasmania and Western Australia, but Ms Banks said when taking a longer-term view, Western Australia has remained quite consistent since March 2021 and has 61.0 per cent more job ads now than two years ago, and similarly Tasmania has 76.7 per cent more ads than October 2019.
Customer-facing roles drove a lot of the growth, mainly in trades and service and hospitality and tourism.
“Job ad levels rose in every industry nationally in October. Customer-facing roles are faring particularly well, with more businesses preparing for the summer holidays,” Ms Banks said.
“Jobs advertised within the Hospitality and Tourism industry grew by 35.5. per cent in October, Trades and Services also saw a rise of 7.5 per cent and Retail and Consumer Products increased by 6.3 per cent.
“Roles for Fitness and Personal Training and Coaching and Instruction have also seen a bounce as gyms reopened. Sports and Recreation roles, although a relatively small number of jobs compared to other industries, has increased by 26.5 per cent.”
