| Aug-21 | Quarterly change | Annual change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| '000 | % | % | |
| Private sector | 302.4 | -10.9 | 64.3 |
| Public sector | 31.3 | 2.3 | 41.1 |
| Private and public sectors | 333.7 | -9.8 | 61.8 |
Job Vacancies, Australia
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Results of the quarterly Job Vacancies Survey containing estimates of job vacancies classified by industry, sector and state/territory.
Reference period
August 2021
Released
30/09/2021
Key statistics
The seasonally adjusted estimates for the August 2021 quarter are as follows:
- Total job vacancies were 333,700, a decrease of 9.8% from May 2021.
- Private sector vacancies were 302,400, a decrease of 10.9% from May 2021.
- Public sector vacancies were 31,300, an increase of 2.3% from May 2021.
Survey impacts
Continuing the use of forward factors for seasonal adjustment
In the May 2020 Job vacancies release, the ABS advised that the method used to produce seasonally adjusted estimates would be changed from the ‘concurrent’ method to the ‘forward factors’ method, during the COVID-19 period. The forward factors approach is better suited to managing large movements at the end point of series and ensures that large movements do not have a disproportionate influence on the seasonal factors.
Given the large movements in the labour market during the COVID-19 period and the continuing use of a forward factors approach to seasonal adjustment, the ABS undertook an extensive annual review of its seasonally adjusted job vacancies series, prior to the release of the job vacancies May 2021 estimates. Static forward factors for the next 12 months were calculated through this annual process and were used from the May 2021 release.
For further information on seasonal adjustment during a period of uncertainty please see: Seasonal adjustment throughout periods of significant disruption and uncertainty | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au).
Suspension of trend estimates
Consistent with other ABS labour statistics, the JVS trend series have been suspended until more certainty emerges in the underlying trend in the estimates over the COVID-19 period. The reinstatement of JVS trend estimates will be reviewed for the November 2021 cycle. Spreadsheets containing seasonally adjusted and original data will continue to be published in the standard format, but trend series will not be published during the COVID-19 period.
Survey responses remain high in August
Responses for the Job Vacancies Survey August 2021 quarter remained high. The ABS would like to thank the Australian business community for their continued support in responding to our surveys during such a challenging time, given how critically important this information is.
Other measures of labour demand
In addition to Job Vacancies, there are a number of non-ABS indicators that measure labour demand using alternative concepts, sources and methods. These are also widely used as leading indicators of employment. Prominent examples include the ANZ Job Advertisement Series, the SEEK Employment Report, and the National Skills Commission's Internet Vacancy Index.
Measures of job vacancies and job advertisements will differ for a number of reasons. One of the key differences is that job vacancies includes jobs for which job advertisements are undertaken but also include jobs where other recruitment approaches are exclusively used, such as word of mouth or social media. According to the National Skills Commission's Survey of Employer's Recruitment Experience, 22 per cent of jobs are not advertised (i.e. recruitment is done through word of mouth alone or by considering people who approach the business). For further details on recruitment practices, please see the Employers' Insights on the Australian Labour Market 2020 Data Report.
Furthermore, job vacancies count every position advertised within a single notice, while some job advertisements may be used to fill multiple positions.
Job vacancies over time
Job vacancies decreased by 9.8% (36,200 vacancies) in the three months to August 2021 (seasonally adjusted). The August vacancies reflect a point in time where many businesses were subject to restrictions, with a number of states in lockdown.
However, the level of job vacancies remained higher than they were six months ago, and were still 46.5% higher than in February 2020, prior to the start of the pandemic. The ongoing high level of vacancies reflects the pace of recovery in labour demand from the fall in May 2020, as well as a number of industries indicating labour shortages, particularly for lower paid jobs.
The Job Vacancy Survey was suspended between August 2008 to August 2009 (inclusive).
Businesses reporting vacancies
The number of businesses reporting at least one vacancy also shows the extent of the acute reduction in labour demand in May 2020, as well as the subsequent change. In May 2020, a much lower proportion of businesses reported at least one vacancy (6.5%). By May 2021, this had increased to 22.0% of businesses. For August 2021, this number declined to 20.3% but remained higher than February 2020 (11.0%), which was prior to the impact of COVID-19.
| Feb-20 | May-20 | Aug-20 | Nov-20 | Feb-21 | May-21 | Aug-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 12.1% | 5.8% | 11.6% | 15.1% | 19.6% | 22.9% | 19.4% |
| Victoria | 11.2% | 6.0% | 11.5% | 15.5% | 18.0% | 22.0% | 18.8% |
| Queensland | 10.4% | 10.5% | 13.7% | 12.9% | 17.4% | 22.6% | 26.9% |
| South Australia | 8.1% | 2.9% | 8.8% | 9.1% | 15.7% | 15.6% | 13.1% |
| Western Australia | 10.2% | 5.5% | 15.6% | 16.7% | 16.3% | 21.7% | 21.5% |
| Tasmania | 8.3% | 4.5% | 10.7% | 14.2% | 17.8% | 21.8% | 15.1% |
| Northern Territory | 9.2% | 6.7% | 20.7% | 21.0% | 21.8% | 26.5% | 20.8% |
| Australian Capital Territory | 9.4% | 3.5% | 4.7% | 17.3% | 12.1% | 13.8% | 9.4% |
| Australia | 11.0% | 6.5% | 12.1% | 14.7% | 18.1% | 22.0% | 20.3% |
| Feb-20 | May-20 | Aug-20 | Nov-20 | Feb-21 | May-21 | Aug-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining | 20.9% | 8.3% | 16.1% | 16.3% | 21.1% | 11.0% | 18.1% |
| Manufacturing | 8.0% | 4.4% | 14.0% | 14.6% | 15.3% | 15.1% | 22.9% |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 10.2% | 11.8% | 21.9% | 18.5% | 13.9% | 12.8% | 9.9% |
| Construction | 13.6% | 4.6% | 12.0% | 13.0% | 22.8% | 26.9% | 23.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 14.6% | 14.1% | 14.0% | 17.8% | 15.2% | 23.6% | 22.3% |
| Retail trade | 13.3% | 9.7% | 9.9% | 17.8% | 16.4% | 21.6% | 21.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 14.5% | 2.3% | 13.9% | 16.9% | 30.5% | 30.5% | 18.3% |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 5.3% | 4.1% | 10.7% | 4.3% | 20.2% | 22.0% | 15.7% |
| Information media and telecommunications | 14.0% | 7.0% | 5.2% | 14.0% | 18.3% | 20.0% | 15.9% |
| Financial and insurance services | 4.5% | 5.0% | 6.6% | 15.7% | 16.9% | 20.5% | 10.3% |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 6.9% | 4.1% | 11.8% | 12.8% | 11.1% | 16.9% | 19.3% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 9.4% | 9.2% | 14.8% | 14.2% | 14.5% | 16.4% | 15.4% |
| Administrative and support services | 16.5% | 7.8% | 16.2% | 18.9% | 17.1% | 23.6% | 29.8% |
| Public administration and safety | 31.3% | 22.6% | 27.9% | 35.4% | 30.0% | 42.2% | 29.8% |
| Education and training | 7.5% | 4.0% | 10.8% | 5.2% | 8.6% | 11.5% | 9.7% |
| Health care and social assistance | 8.2% | 6.5% | 8.9% | 13.6% | 13.4% | 23.3% | 21.2% |
| Arts and recreation services | 3.4% | 0.5% | 2.1% | 21.0% | 3.1% | 14.0% | 9.3% |
| Other services | 10.6% | 5.6% | 11.1% | 16.7% | 21.1% | 22.8% | 28.1% |
| All industries | 11.0% | 6.5% | 12.1% | 14.7% | 18.1% | 22.0% | 20.3% |
| Feb-20 | May-20 | Aug-20 | Nov-20 | Feb-21 | May-21 | Aug-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replacement/resignations | 78.6% | 72.9% | 75.3% | 75.1% | 76.2% | 76.0% | 75.1% |
| Increased workload | 35.9% | 32.0% | 36.7% | 41.3% | 44.5% | 45.4% | 42.3% |
| Expansion of business | 25.4% | 15.7% | 19.9% | 21.2% | 25.4% | 26.8% | 25.3% |
| Restructure | 16.6% | 14.1% | 14.6% | 16.8% | 14.0% | 14.3% | 15.7% |
| Relocation | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Seasonal | 10.7% | 9.0% | 11.7% | 16.4% | 10.1% | 10.0% | 11.4% |
| Special event | 1.5% | 2.7% | 3.0% | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.5% |
| Takeover | 1.1% | 0.7% | 1.5% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 1.4% |
| Other | 6.5% | 11.6% | 11.9% | 10.9% | 8.8% | 10.3% | 11.8% |
Businesses may have multiple reasons for reporting job vacancies
Proportions are of businesses that reported at least one vacancy
States and territories
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Change from previous quarter | ||||||||||
| May-20 | -49.9 | -51.9 | -34.3 | -41.6 | -39.1 | -45.7 | -39.7 | -46.2 | -45.8 | -43.3 |
| Aug-20 | 56.4 | 59.5 | 67.0 | 83.2 | 91.4 | 84.7 | 146.3 | 57.2 | 67.1 | 59.6 |
| Nov-20 | 32.9 | 27.6 | 13.7 | 24.6 | 16.2 | 50.4 | 0.1 | 40.4 | 24.6 | 23.0 |
| Feb-21 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.8 | 24.2 | 6.8 | 10.2 | 13.1 | 3.5 | 12.3 | 13.9 |
| May-21 | 20.0 | 33.4 | 25.6 | 10.4 | 15.6 | 14.4 | 5.1 | 7.2 | 22.1 | 28.0 |
| Aug-21 | -15.6 | -7.1 | 5.0 | -15.8 | 12.7 | -10.3 | 21.1 | -8.8 | -5.2 | -9.8 |
| Change from corresponding quarter of previous year | ||||||||||
| Aug-19 | -8.5 | -7.6 | 12.8 | -3.5 | 2.1 | 20.3 | 20.6 | 12.5 | -2.2 | -1.9 |
| Aug-20 | -14.6 | -25.2 | 7.8 | 10.2 | 21.9 | -6.1 | -1.8 | -25.6 | -8.1 | -8.0 |
| Aug-21 | 53.0 | 77.7 | 67.5 | 44.0 | 61.7 | 70.0 | 44.0 | 42.0 | 62.0 | 61.8 |
Private sector
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Change from previous quarter | ||||||||||
| May-20 | -53.2 | -54.8 | -34.3 | -48.1 | -39.2 | -46.6 | -39.0 | -48.8 | -48.1 | -45.3 |
| Aug-20 | 64.5 | 67.4 | 71.1 | 104.7 | 95.7 | 82.0 | 186.8 | 46.2 | 74.3 | 65.6 |
| Nov-20 | 35.4 | 30.0 | 12.1 | 25.2 | 16.1 | 53.2 | -2.9 | 62.1 | 25.6 | 23.9 |
| Feb-21 | 15.4 | 12.6 | 11.7 | 30.2 | 5.0 | 17.8 | 8.7 | 0.7 | 12.9 | 14.5 |
| May-21 | 19.5 | 36.1 | 27.8 | 8.1 | 17.7 | 14.6 | 9.1 | 10.5 | 23.3 | 29.9 |
| Aug-21 | -17.0 | -8.5 | 5.4 | -17.1 | 12.1 | -16.4 | 21.1 | -8.4 | -6.0 | -10.9 |
| Change from corresponding quarter of previous year | ||||||||||
| Aug-19 | -11.0 | -7.1 | 11.3 | -8.0 | 2.4 | 25.1 | 14.3 | -2.9 | -3.8 | -3.6 |
| Aug-20 | -15.9 | -27.3 | 11.0 | 11.7 | 23.3 | -6.5 | -1.7 | -27.4 | -8.2 | -8.2 |
| Aug-21 | 55.0 | 82.3 | 68.8 | 46.0 | 60.8 | 72.9 | 39.5 | 65.1 | 64.5 | 64.3 |
Public sector
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Change from previous quarter | ||||||||||
| May-20 | -20.2 | -26.1 | -34.3 | -2.7 | -37.1 | -40.8 | -41.5 | -38.8 | -26.5 | -27.0 |
| Aug-20 | 14.0 | 16.1 | 26.4 | 14.3 | 43.8 | 99.1 | 37.8 | 83.5 | 24.6 | 23.0 |
| Nov-20 | 13.9 | 8.5 | 34.7 | 21.2 | 17.9 | 36.3 | 16.7 | -1.2 | 15.7 | 15.2 |
| Feb-21 | -2.1 | 10.7 | 12.1 | -11.5 | 33.4 | -31.7 | 33.4 | 12.5 | 6.5 | 8.9 |
| May-21 | 25.4 | 7.8 | 0.8 | 31.3 | -7.6 | 11.9 | -10.1 | -1.9 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| Aug-21 | -1.8 | 9.4 | -1.5 | -6.0 | 20.3 | 48.9 | 21.0 | -10.2 | 3.6 | 2.3 |
| Change from corresponding quarter of previous year | ||||||||||
| Aug-19 | 20.9 | -12.1 | 29.2 | 30.6 | -1.5 | 0.7 | 73.6 | 67.2 | 14.7 | 14.8 |
| Aug-20 | -3.4 | -2.6 | -22.3 | 2.6 | 3.5 | -3.9 | -2.1 | -22.1 | -7.1 | -6.9 |
| Aug-21 | 37.3 | 41.7 | 50.0 | 32.4 | 74.9 | 55.3 | 69.3 | -2.1 | 41.0 | 41.1 |
Industry
| May-20 | Aug-20 | Nov-20 | Feb-21 | May-21 | Aug-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining | 4.3 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 7.5 | 8.3 | 8.4 |
| Manufacturing | 7.0 | 13.5 | 15.3 | 16.6 | 20.7 | 23.2 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Construction | 8.3 | 15.9 | 17.9 | 26.7 | 29.9 | 23.2 |
| Wholesale trade | 6.5 | 9.9 | 13.4 | 14.0 | 17.8 | 14.4 |
| Retail trade | 11.4 | 18.5 | 25.7 | 24.9 | 34.3 | 33.6 |
| Accommodation and food services | *5.0 | *13.5 | 22.4 | 27.6 | 38.2 | 27.6 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 3.3 | 5.5 | 6.6 | 9.3 | 10.6 | 11.5 |
| Information media and telecommunications | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
| Financial and insurance services | 7.8 | 12.3 | 12.8 | 14.7 | 17.9 | 15.8 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | *1.0 | *3.6 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 7.8 | 5.8 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 13.1 | 23.5 | 27.0 | 31.2 | 31.9 | 31.7 |
| Administrative and support services | 17.5 | 24.2 | 26.8 | 28.6 | 35.2 | 36.8 |
| Public administration and safety | 8.6 | 13.4 | 16.7 | 15.0 | 17.2 | 17.5 |
| Education and training | 3.6 | 6.4 | 6.7 | 8.5 | 10.5 | 9.8 |
| Health care and social assistance | 19.7 | 28.4 | 37.7 | 39.1 | 47.7 | 51.2 |
| Arts and recreation services | **0.1 | **1.2 | 4.0 | 2.6 | 5.4 | 3.9 |
| Other services | *3.6 | *8.3 | 10.6 | 13.6 | 15.4 | 16.0 |
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use
Downloads
Note
The trend estimates have been suspended from May 2020 for all job vacancies series due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market.
Time series spreadsheets
Data files
Table 1. Job vacancies, state and territories ('000)
Table 2. Job vacancies, private sector, state and territories ('000)
Table 3. Job vacancies, public sector, state and territories ('000)
Table 4. Job vacancies, industry, Australia ('000) - original
All time series
Previous catalogue number
This release previously used catalogue number 6354.0.