GROWTH IN JOB ADVERTS

THE number of job advertisements listed on SEEK increased by 8.6 per cent last year, with trades and services, information communication technology and healthcare sectors driving the growth.

Latest figures from SEEK’s Employment Report reveal the number of advertisements for Queensland-based roles increased by 9 per cent.

Tasmania recorded the biggest jump in job ads between the 2017 and 2018 calendar years – up 25 per cent – followed by Western Australia (15 per cent), Victoria (11 per cent), and South Australia (9 per cent).

The ACT and New South Wales recorded 6 per cent and 5 per cent more jobs, respectively.

SEEK Australia and New Zealand managing director Kendra Banks says the growth is good news for jobseekers, showing the 2018 employment market was stronger than the previous year.

“More encouraging is that growth in the employment market has come from a diverse range of industries,” she says.

“There is demand for candidates that can carry out highly technical roles to those who can support the frontline service needs of our population such as in healthcare roles.

“It is interesting to see in our data indications of changes in the employment market as a result of what we’ve referred to at SEEK as a ‘hollowing out of the middle’. We see increased demand for highly-skilled technology roles advertised across the ICT classification, along with demand for service sector roles advertised in the healthcare and medical classification.

“(There is) demand for people in our labour market that can work on and with technology and AI (artificial intelligence) as well as those roles where technology and AI is less prevalent, such as hightouch variable roles such as nursing and aged care.”

Banks says she expects job growth in the community services and development industry to continue for the first quarter of 2019 “and potentially beyond”.