The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times
AD
The Epoch Times
Support Us
SHARE
World NewsAustralia NewsSocial Issues

Job Vacancies Face Consecutive Drops Across Australia

Job vacancies have fallen once again—but statistics experts say total vacancies are still higher than before the pandemic.
Copy
Facebook
X
Truth
Gettr
LinkedIn
Telegram
Email
Save
Job Vacancies Face Consecutive Drops Across Australia
Students watch as Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) instructor Rick Johnson (C) demonstrates how to navigate a utility pole during the PG&E's PowerPathway Pole Climbing Capstone course at the PG&E pole climbing training facilityin Oakland, California on June 8, 2012. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Crystal-Rose Jones
By Crystal-Rose Jones
7/4/2024Updated: 7/4/2024
0:00

Australian job seekers are continuing to feel the pressure, with job vacancies falling 2.7 percent from February to May, reaching 352,600, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Job vacancies were down across a majority of industries.

Bjorn Jarvis, ABS head of labour statistics, said there had been consecutive drops in the nation’s employment rate.

“The number of job vacancies fell further in May 2024, dropping by 2.7 percent,” he said.

“This followed a fall of 6.2 percent in February 2024.”

Mr. Jarvis said job numbers were more plentiful in 2022, but had dropped significantly since.

Related Stories
Number of US Workers on Unemployment Rises to Highest Level in Over 2 Years
7/3/2024
Number of US Workers on Unemployment Rises to Highest Level in Over 2 Years
US Economy Adds 272,000 New Jobs, Unemployment Ticks Up to 4 Percent in May
6/7/2024
US Economy Adds 272,000 New Jobs, Unemployment Ticks Up to 4 Percent in May

“May 2024 marked two years since the peak in job vacancies in May 2022,” he said.

“Since then, vacancies have fallen by 26.0 percent.

“However, job vacancies were still well above their pre-COVID-19 pandemic level.”

But Mr. Jarvis said it was important to also look at the history of the data.

“There were still around 54.8 percent, or around 125,000, more vacancies than in February 2020,” he said.

Australia’s population has also grown by more than a million people from 2020 to 2024.

Economics professor Gigi Foster told The Epoch Times that the blame for not ensuring ample employment was with the government.

“Our present economic woes are mainly down to poor economic management by those in government, during COVID especially, but also after it,” she said.

Ms. Foster said many measures could be introduced to fix the structural issues behind rising unemployment and economic stress, but few politicians were willing to action necessary changes.

Data Shows Strongest and Weakest Growth Areas

The strongest quarterly percentage falls in job vacancies, according to ABS data, were in wholesale trade (-30.7 percent) and manufacturing (-29.8 percent).

Only four industries had growth in job vacancies over the quarter.

The strongest percentage rises were in professional, scientific, and technical services (15.9 percent) and public administration and safety (15.3 percent).

Job vacancies remained higher than their pre-pandemic levels in 15 out of 18 industries, according to Mr. Jarvis.

“This continued to be particularly pronounced in customer-facing industries, including accommodation and food services, and arts and recreation services, where vacancies are still more than double pre-pandemic levels,” he said.

The latest labour account data showed that much of the recent growth in filled jobs was in the three non-market sector industries—health care and social assistance, education and training, and public administration and safety.

“This was also reflected in the latest job vacancies data, with these three industries’ share of total vacancies growing from around 27 percent in May 2023 to 28 percent in May 2024,” Mr. Jarvis said.

“The share was also considerably higher than the pre-pandemic 22 percent in February 2020.”

Healthcare is now the sector with the largest number of total vacancies, making up one in five job listings.

Job vacancies dropped over the three months to May in both the private (-2.7 percent) and public sectors (-2.5 percent).

There were also falls in job vacancies in most states and territories over the same time.

South Australia saw the largest percentage drop (-17.3 percent) followed by Western Australia (-12.3 percent).

The only rise was in the Northern Territory (15.2 percent).

Crystal-Rose Jones
Crystal-Rose Jones
Author
Crystal-Rose Jones is a reporter based in Australia. She previously worked at News Corp for 16 years as a senior journalist and editor.
Author’s Selected Articles

Australia’s Largest Bank Quizzing Customers for Details on Cash Withdrawals

May 15, 2025
Australia’s Largest Bank Quizzing Customers for Details on Cash Withdrawals

Greens Co-Founder Says Party Must Return to Environmental Roots After Election Setback

May 14, 2025
Greens Co-Founder Says Party Must Return to Environmental Roots After Election Setback

Election Worker Found With Almost 2,000 Ballots at Home

May 13, 2025
Election Worker Found With Almost 2,000 Ballots at Home

After Outpolling the Greens, Where Do Australia’s Minor Conservative Parties Go From Here?

May 13, 2025
After Outpolling the Greens, Where Do Australia’s Minor Conservative Parties Go From Here?
Related Topics
unemployment
jobs
economics
Abs
Australian Bureau of Statistics
job vacancies
Save
The Epoch Times
Copyright © 2000 - 2025 The Epoch Times Association Inc. All Rights Reserved.