Australian Bureau of Statistics
Celebrating the International Year of Statistics 2013

NAME OF ORGANISATION
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

OVERVIEW
The original survey (Job Vacancy and Overtime) was also a quarterly survey providing estimates of job vacancies and overtime. From August 1999, when the Overtime component was discontinued following a review conducted in the previous year, the series has been known as the Job Vacancies Survey (JVS). From November 2003, number of employees were no longer collected in the Job Vacancies Survey (JVS). Consequently job vacancy rates are no longer presented in the publication.

The JVS collects data from a sample of businesses taken from the ABS Register of Businesses. Estimates of JVO were originally calculated using data from the payroll tax system. Following the decision to stop using payroll tax data, the JVO sample survey was introduced in November 1983.

PURPOSE
The purpose of the collection is to estimate the number of job vacancies in Australia. The JVS series is a major economic indicator and is consequently used by a large number of users in both Commonwealth and State government departments, employer associations, economists and trade unions.

SCOPE
All job vacancies for wage and salary earners are represented in the Job Vacancies Survey (JVS), except those:

• in the Australian permanent defence forces
• in businesses primarily engaged in agriculture, forestry and fishing
• in private households employing staff
• in overseas embassies, consulates, etc.
• located outside Australia.

• new businesses
• businesses which have ceased employing
• changes in employment levels
• changes in industry
• other general business changes.

Conceptual framework
Not applicable

Main outputs
Jobs: number of vacancies, state or territory by sector and industry division.

Note : Australia trend estimates and seasonally adjusted estimates are available.

Classifications
State

• Estimates are published at the state level; and
• They are not available for any smaller geographical area.

• Estimates are published at the sector level (private/public); and
• This is the smallest sector split available.

• Estimates are published at the ANZSIC division level (1 digit)

• for jobs of less than one day's duration;
• for jobs which became vacant on the survey date that were filled that same day;
• to be filled by persons already hired, or by promotion or transfer of existing employees;
• to be filled by employees returning from paid or unpaid leave or after industrial dispute(s);
• not available for immediate filling on the survey reference date;
• not available within the particular State or Territory to which the return relates;
• for work to be carried out by contractors;
• for which no recruitment action has been taken;
• where a person has been appointed but has not yet commenced duty;
• to be filled by staff from contract labour agencies; and
• for jobs available only to persons already employed by the enterprise or organisation

Comments and/or Other Regions
The largest geographical area covered is Australia. Estimates by State are available. Estimates for geographic areas below State level are not possible.

Business within the Jervis Bay territory are allocated to NSW and external territories {Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands} are allocated to WA, as their states of administration.

State estimates are available by sector but not industry

COLLECTION FREQUENCY
Quarterly

Frequency comments
Not applicable

COLLECTION HISTORY
A survey of job vacancies was first run in March 1974. Initially this was an annual mail based collection, based on payroll tax returns. The survey switched to a quarterly telephone based methodology in May 1977 in a bid to improve the timeliness of the published statistics. The survey ceased following the May 1978 collection, but was re-introduced in response to user demand in May 1979. In 1989 the Job Vacancy Survey was merged with the Overtime Survey.

In 1981, an ABS review of the methodology used to collect job vacancy data concluded that there was substantially underestimating of the rate of growth in employment because a significant number of small businesses were exempt from payroll tax.

The overtime component of the survey ceased following the May quarter 1999.

In August 2002, a number of statistical infrastructure changes were introduced for ABS economic collections. These changes were designed to allow better use of data available from the taxation system. The aim was to improve efficiency, coverage and sample design in the compilation of ABS economic series. The changes included adopting The Australian Business Number (ABN), issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) as an alternative reference number, used to verify that the correct business is being surveyed. For more information about the changes referred to, see the information paper Improvements in ABS Economic Statistics [ Arising from The New Tax System] (cat. no. 1372.0).

From November 2003, number of employees were no longer collected in the Job Vacancies Survey. Consequently job vacancy rates from November 2003 are no longer presented in the Job Vacancies publication (cat. no. 6354.0). A job vacancy rate series, based on estimates of the number of employees from the Labour Force Survey, is available on request.

DATA AVAILABILITY
Yes