BackJob vacancies in Australia climb to record high, openings above pre-covid levels
Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics out on Thursday showed vacancies in the three months to February rose 6.9%, from the previous quarter, to 423,500.
PremiumJob vacancies in Australia hit record highs in the February quarter to be 200,000 above pre-pandemic levels, a sign of strong labour demand that should see unemployment fall yet further. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics out on Thursday showed vacancies in the three months to February rose 6.9%, from the previous quarter, to 423,500.
That was 46.6% higher than the same period last year, and 86% higher than in February 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic first hit.
"The high number of vacancies shows the strong demand for workers across the economy, as businesses are responding to disruptions to operations, together with labour shortages across the economy," said Bjorn Jarvis, head of Labour Statistics at the ABS.
"Job vacancies were much higher than before the pandemic in all industries, with many businesses continuing to report difficulties in filling their vacancies."
Employment has beaten all forecasts in recent months to drive the jobless rate down to 4.0%, equalling the lowest on record since the early 1970s.
Private sector positions rose 6.7% in the February quarter, from the previous quarter, while public sector vacancies grew 8.6%.
The number of vacancies was highest in health and social assistance, followed by scientific and professional, administrative positions, the retail sector and accommodation and food.
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