Job openings in Australia rise 23% in November

The increase in vacancies reflect the pace of recovery in labour demand in the second half of the year, says labour stats chief.
By: | January 15, 2021
Topics: Australia | News | Recruitment | Restructuring

The number of job vacancies in Australia totalled 254,400 in November last year, an increase of 23.4% from that of August 2020, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The total number of job vacancies is also higher than that of the pre-COVID-19 level in February, which reflects “the pace of recovery in labour demand in the second half of the year and labour shortages in some industries,” said Bjorn Jarvis, head of Labour Statistics at ABS.

Of the total, 228,800 vacancies were in the private sector, rising 24.2% from that of August. Meanwhile, vacancies in the public sector rose by 16.9% from August to 25,600 in November.

The three industries that saw the largest percentage increase in job vacancies in November were: arts and recreation services; accommodation and food services; and retail trade. These were also the industries that experienced drastic cuts last May, during the peak of pandemic-led restrictions. 

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Quarterly increases in vacancies for November were observed in all states and territories of the country, except Victoria, which was the only state with vacancies below its February level.