Job vacancies fall again in August 2026

Job vacancies fell to 325,000 in August 2026, according to new quarterly figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). 

Sean Crick, ABS head of labour statistics, said: “Job vacancies fell by 3,000, or 0.9 per cent, in the three months to August 2026. This followed a decline of 2.2 per cent in the previous three months.

“The decline in job vacancies was driven by the private sector, notably in business goods and services. This was offset somewhat by rises in customer facing roles including in Retail trade.

“Over the year, job vacancies declined by 1.3 per cent.”

The Wholesale trade industry had the largest quarterly percentage drop, with a fall of 18.0 per cent. This was followed by Professional, scientific and technical services, which was down by 17.3 per cent. 

The largest percentage rises in job vacancies were in Retail trade, up by 24.5 per cent, followed by Financial and insurance services, up by 14.1 per cent.

Job vacancies fell in five of the eight states and territories over the three months to August 2026. The Australian Capital Territory had the largest decrease, down by 21.9 per cent. This was followed by the Northern Territory which fell by 8.0 per cent. 

The largest percentage rises were in South Australia (5.8 per cent) and Victoria (1.4 per cent). 

Job vacancies in the private sector decreased by 2.0 per cent, or 5,800 vacancies, in the three months to August 2026. At the same time vacancies in the public sector rose by 7.8 per cent, or 2,800.

The ABS would like to thank businesses in Australia for their continued support in responding to our surveys.