AUS
NZ
UK
CA
USA
IND
Summary
- Australia saw a 23 per cent increase in job vacancies in the November 2020 quarter amid easing coronavirus-induced restrictions.
- While the private sector vacancies rose 24.2 per cent over the quarter, the public sector vacancies saw an increase of 16.9 per cent in the given period.
- With the exception of Victoria, all states and territories surpassed the pre-pandemic levels of vacancies seen in February 2020.
Jobs vacancies in Australia rose by 23 per cent in the November 2020 quarter amid easing coronavirus-induced restrictions. The job vacancies were 12 per cent higher than November 2019 on an annual basis, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Image Source: MegapixlTM
In November, the job vacancies stood at 254,000, which was higher than the pre-coronavirus level in February, said Bjorn Jarvis, head of Labour Statistics at the ABS. The increase in jobs represents the increase in the pace of recovery in labour demand in the latter half of the year. It also indicates labour shortages in some industries.
READ MORE: COVID-19 impact: Weekly payroll jobs fall, accommodation and food services worst hit
While the private sector vacancies rose 24.2 per cent over the quarter, the public sector vacancies saw an increase of 16.9 per cent in the given period. In November, the private sector vacancies were nearly 13 per cent above February, against 1 per cent for public sector vacancies.
Image Source: ABS update, 13 January 2021
States and territories
The job vacancies saw a rise across all states and territories in November 2020, against August 2020. Except Victoria, all the states and territories shot past the pre-pandemic levels of job vacancies recoded in February 2020. The slight lag in the recovery of Victoria's job vacancies was on account of the second wave of coronavirus pandemic in the state.
Image Source: ABS update, 13 January 2021
Industries
Arts and recreation services, accommodation and food services, and retail trade were the industries with the largest rise in job vacancies in the November 2020 quarter. These were the same industries that witnessed a significant decline in May, during the height of the coronavirus-related restrictions.
Image Source: ABS update, 13 January 2021
Coronavirus impact on jobs
The rise in job vacancies in the three months to November 2020 comes after the largest decline seen in job vacancies in the series’s history in May 2020. It reflects the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the related restrictions on people and businesses.
READ MORE: ABS data revealed surge in International trade and housing loan commitments
