| May 2021 ('000) | Feb 2021 to May 2021 (% change) | May 2020 to May 2021 (% change) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private sector | 331.9 | 24.8 | 203.0 |
| Public sector | 30.6 | 10.0 | 69.7 |
| Private and public sectors | 362.5 | 23.4 | 184.1 |
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
May 2021
Released
1/07/2021
Key statistics
The seasonally adjusted estimates for the May 2021 quarter are as follows:
- Total job vacancies were 362,500 an increase of 23.4% from February 2021.
- Private sector vacancies were 331,900, an increase of 24.8% from February 2021.
- Public sector vacancies were 30,600, an increase of 10.0% from February 2021.
Survey Impacts
Seasonal adjustment and trend estimates
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 May 2021 estimates. Static forward factors for the next 12 months have been calculated through this annual process and were used in 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).
Survey responses remain high in May
Responses for the Job Vacancies Survey May 2021 quarter remained high, with similar levels of responses to previous quarters. 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.
Comparing job vacancies with other measures of labour demand
In addition to Job Vacancies, there are a number of non-ABS measures 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 Department of Education, Skills and Employment'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, 19 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 Survey of Employer's Recruitment Experiences 2019 Data Report.
Furthermore, job vacancies count every position advertised within a single notice, while some job advertisements may be used to fill multiple positions.
Additional COVID-19 period analysis of job vacancies
Job vacancies increased by 23.4% (68,800 vacancies) in the three months to May 2021 (seasonally adjusted). The historically high level of vacancies reflects the pace of recovery in labour demand from the fall in May 2020, as well as the increasing number of industries indicating labour shortages, particularly for lower paid jobs. There were 57.4% more vacancies in May 2021 than in February 2020, prior to the start of the pandemic.
Job Vacancy Survey was suspended between August 2008 and August 2009 (inclusive)
Increases in job vacancies were recorded across Australia in May 2021 with growth in all states and territories. The chart below shows the percentage change in job vacancies since February 2020, which was greatest in Tasmania (89.9%), South Australia (82.9%) and Northern Territory (76.5%).
The chart below shows the percentage change in job vacancies in industries since February 2020. Vacancies were higher than pre-pandemic levels in all industries, and particularly elevated in those reporting labour shortages.
While not a regular output from the survey, 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, which was double February 2020 (11.0%).
| Feb-20 | May-20 | Feb-21 | May-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining | 20.9% | 8.3% | 21.1% | 11.0% |
| Manufacturing | 8.0% | 4.4% | 15.3% | 15.1% |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 10.2% | 11.8% | 13.9% | 12.8% |
| Construction | 13.6% | 4.6% | 22.8% | 26.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 14.6% | 14.1% | 15.2% | 23.6% |
| Retail trade | 13.3% | 9.7% | 16.4% | 21.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 14.5% | 2.3% | 30.5% | 30.5% |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 5.3% | 4.1% | 20.2% | 22.0% |
| Information media and telecommunications | 14.0% | 7.0% | 18.3% | 20.0% |
| Financial and insurance services | 4.5% | 5.0% | 16.9% | 20.5% |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 6.9% | 4.1% | 11.1% | 16.9% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 9.4% | 9.2% | 14.5% | 16.4% |
| Administrative and support services | 16.5% | 7.8% | 17.1% | 23.6% |
| Public administration and safety | 31.3% | 22.6% | 30.0% | 42.2% |
| Education and training | 7.5% | 4.0% | 8.6% | 11.5% |
| Health care and social assistance | 8.2% | 6.5% | 13.4% | 23.3% |
| Arts and recreation services | 3.4% | 0.5% | 3.1% | 14.0% |
| Other services | 10.6% | 5.6% | 21.1% | 22.8% |
| All industries | 11.0% | 6.5% | 18.1% | 22.0% |
| Feb-20 | May-20 | Feb-21 | May-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 12.1% | 5.8% | 19.6% | 22.9% |
| Victoria | 11.2% | 6.0% | 18.0% | 22.0% |
| Queensland | 10.4% | 10.5% | 17.4% | 22.6% |
| South Australia | 8.1% | 2.9% | 15.7% | 15.6% |
| Western Australia | 10.2% | 5.5% | 16.3% | 21.7% |
| Tasmania | 8.3% | 4.5% | 17.8% | 21.8% |
| Northern Territory | 9.2% | 6.7% | 21.8% | 26.5% |
| Australian Capital Territory | 9.4% | 3.5% | 12.1% | 13.8% |
| Australia | 11.0% | 6.5% | 18.1% | 22.0% |
States and territories
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb-20 | 79.3 | 59.7 | 38.4 | 11.7 | 27.6 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 6.6 | 229.5 | 230.3 |
| May-20 | 39.8 | 28.7 | 25.2 | 6.8 | 16.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 124.5 | 127.6 |
| Aug-20 | 62.2 | 45.8 | 42.1 | 12.5 | 32.2 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 5.6 | 208.0 | 203.6 |
| Nov-20 | 82.7 | 58.4 | 47.9 | 15.6 | 37.4 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 7.9 | 259.2 | 257.3 |
| Feb-21 | 94.0 | 65.6 | 53.5 | 19.3 | 40.0 | 5.7 | 4.8 | 8.2 | 291.0 | 293.7 |
| May-21 | 112.8 | 87.6 | 67.2 | 21.3 | 46.2 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 8.8 | 355.4 | 362.5 |
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb-20 | -1.1 | -0.8 | -2.0 | 2.7 | 7.3 | -5.7 | -17.8 | -13.8 | -0.8 | 0.6 |
| May-20 | -49.9 | -51.9 | -34.3 | -41.6 | -39.1 | -45.7 | -39.7 | -46.2 | -45.8 | -44.6 |
| 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 | 26.4 |
| Feb-21 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.8 | 24.2 | 6.8 | 10.2 | 13.1 | 3.5 | 12.3 | 14.1 |
| May-21 | 20.0 | 33.4 | 25.6 | 10.4 | 15.6 | 14.4 | 5.1 | 7.2 | 22.1 | 23.4 |
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May-19 | 3.7 | -2.2 | 3.6 | -0.9 | 3.7 | 32.7 | 10.5 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| May-20 | -48.5 | -52.3 | -23.9 | -39.1 | -27.7 | -43.4 | -58.9 | -46.9 | -43.2 | -43.7 |
| May-21 | 183.5 | 205.1 | 166.5 | 213.3 | 174.7 | 250.0 | 192.9 | 144.9 | 185.5 | 184.1 |
Private sector, states and territories
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb-20 | 71.4 | 53.7 | 34.9 | 10.0 | 25.4 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 4.9 | 205.1 | 205.6 |
| May-20 | 33.4 | 24.3 | 22.9 | 5.2 | 15.4 | *1.6 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 106.5 | 109.6 |
| Aug-20 | 55.0 | 40.6 | 39.2 | 10.6 | 30.2 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 185.7 | 181.4 |
| Nov-20 | 74.4 | 52.8 | 44.0 | 13.3 | 35.0 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 6.0 | 233.3 | 231.8 |
| Feb-21 | 85.9 | 59.5 | 49.1 | 17.3 | 36.8 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 6.0 | 263.5 | 265.9 |
| May-21 | 102.7 | 80.9 | 62.8 | 18.7 | 43.3 | 5.9 | 4.1 | 6.7 | 325.0 | 331.9 |
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb-20 | -1.1 | -2.2 | -1.8 | 5.6 | 7.9 | -0.6 | -31.1 | -6.2 | -0.7 | 0.6 |
| May-20 | -53.2 | -54.8 | -34.3 | -48.1 | -39.2 | -46.6 | -39.0 | -48.8 | -48.1 | -46.7 |
| 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 | 27.7 |
| Feb-21 | 15.4 | 12.6 | 11.7 | 30.2 | 5.0 | 17.8 | 8.7 | 0.7 | 12.9 | 14.7 |
| May-21 | 19.5 | 36.1 | 27.8 | 8.1 | 17.7 | 14.6 | 9.1 | 10.5 | 23.3 | 24.8 |
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May-19 | 2.1 | -2.7 | 4.3 | -3.2 | 5.7 | 42.8 | 11.7 | -3.4 | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| May-20 | -52.0 | -55.5 | -23.9 | -46.0 | -29.1 | -41.8 | -65.5 | -47.8 | -45.9 | -46.3 |
| May-21 | 207.1 | 233.4 | 174.0 | 260.8 | 180.7 | 276.4 | 230.3 | 163.6 | 205.0 | 203.0 |
All figures are original unless stated otherwise
Trend figures are not currently available
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
Public sector, states and territories
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb-20 | 7.9 | 6.0 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 24.4 | 24.7 |
| May-20 | 6.3 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 1.6 | *1.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 17.9 | 18.0 |
| Aug-20 | 7.2 | 5.1 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.6 | *0.6 | 1.9 | 22.3 | 22.2 |
| Nov-20 | 8.2 | 5.6 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 0.8 | *0.8 | 1.9 | 25.8 | 25.5 |
| Feb-21 | 8.1 | 6.2 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 0.5 | *1.0 | 2.1 | 27.5 | 27.8 |
| May-21 | 10.1 | 6.7 | 4.4 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 30.4 | 30.6 |
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb-20 | -1.0 | 14.4 | -3.6 | -12.1 | 0.3 | -27.7 | 63.0 | -30.0 | -1.2 | 1.2 |
| 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 |
| NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | Australia | Australia (Seasonally Adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May-19 | 22.1 | 3.1 | -2.7 | 16.3 | -18.7 | 0.3 | 3.1 | 17.7 | 7.9 | 8.0 |
| May-20 | -16.3 | -19.8 | -23.7 | 2.9 | -6.4 | -50.7 | -14.9 | -44.5 | -19.4 | -19.3 |
| May-21 | 59.3 | 50.4 | 92.4 | 60.9 | 109.1 | 107.7 | 92.8 | 100.0 | 69.5 | 69.7 |
All figures are original unless stated otherwise
Trend figures are not currently available
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
Industry
| Feb-20 | May-20 | Aug-20 | Nov-20 | Feb-21 | May-21 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining | 6.5 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 7.5 | 8.3 |
| Manufacturing | 12.2 | 7.0 | 13.5 | 15.3 | 16.6 | 20.7 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 2.1 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 3.0 |
| Construction | 16.6 | 8.3 | 15.9 | 17.9 | 26.7 | 29.9 |
| Wholesale trade | 12.6 | 6.5 | 9.9 | 13.4 | 14.0 | 17.8 |
| Retail trade | 18.9 | 11.4 | 18.5 | 25.7 | 24.9 | 34.3 |
| Accommodation and food services | 14.7 | 5.0 | 13.5 | 22.4 | 27.6 | 38.2 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 7.5 | 3.3 | 5.5 | 6.6 | 9.3 | 10.6 |
| Information media and telecommunications | 3.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| Financial and insurance services | 11.9 | 7.8 | 12.3 | 12.8 | 14.7 | 17.9 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 3.2 | 1.0 | *3.6 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 7.8 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 26.3 | 13.1 | 23.5 | 27.0 | 31.2 | 31.9 |
| Administrative and support services | 31.2 | 17.5 | 24.2 | 26.8 | 28.6 | 35.2 |
| Public administration and safety | 13.3 | 8.6 | 13.4 | 16.7 | 15.0 | 17.2 |
| Education and training | 7.7 | 3.6 | 6.4 | 6.7 | 8.5 | 10.5 |
| Health care and social assistance | 29.8 | 19.7 | 28.4 | 37.7 | 39.1 | 47.7 |
| Arts and recreation services | 2.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 4.0 | 2.6 | 5.4 |
| Other services | 9.4 | 3.6 | 8.3 | 10.6 | 13.6 | 15.4 |
All figures are original
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
Downloads
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.