Record job vacancies more likely

THE number of job vacancies in Australia climbed to record levels in November and look like rising further in 2018, an economist says.

Employers were seeking to fill 210,300 positions in November, up 2.7 per cent from August in seasonally adjusted terms, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said yesterday. The retail, mining and manufacturing sectors led the charge, along with administration and support services.

Vacancies were up 16.1 per cent from a year earlier – the strongest annual growth rate in seven years, CommSec senior economist Ryan Felsman said.

“Forward indicators of hiring intentions continue to suggest the labour market will tighten further with the unemployment rate edging lower towards 5 per cent in 2018,” he said.