Key insights (weeks 33 & 34 compared to February 2020) from the SEEK Employment Trends report that is released monthly:
• SEEK job ads in the last fortnight are at 71% of pre-COVID levels
• Job ad volumes continue to recover in most states and territories with Tasmania and Northern Territory passing pre-COVID levels
• Job ads in Victoria are at 45% of pre-COVID levels but are 59% higher than the wave 1 low point in April
• Regional Australia (97% of pre-COVID levels) is outperforming metro areas (66% of pre-COVID levels) due to a lower proportion of Professional Services roles which is the slowest sector to recover across Australia

Kendra Banks, Managing Director, SEEK ANZ said: “In the fortnight ended 23 August 2020, job ad volumes across Australia were 71% of pre-COVID levels. For the first time since restrictions were initially imposed, we have seen some states surpass pre-COVID levels and other states not too far away.

Northern Territory and Tasmania have both exceeded pre-COVID levels meaning there are now more jobs on their site in these states than there were before COVID hit in February.

Job ads in Western Australia and South Australia are very close to reaching pre-COVID levels with 99% and 96% respectively.

On the other end of the scale, Victoria continues to be impacted by the stage 4 restrictions. The state represents about a fifth of the total job ads for Australia and has a significant impact on the nation’s job ad comparison figure.

“Since the re-introduction of restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne, we have seen a decline in job ads, but this has not been as
severe as what we saw in March and April,” observed Banks. “The number of job ads were 45% of pre-COVID levels, but 59% higher than the low point in April. The fact that job advertising volumes have not declined as much during this second round of restrictions is testament to the resilience and adaptability of business owners, who are being innovative and trying to find ways to continue to operate.”

New South Wales has the largest labour market and has 69% of pre-COVID levels. This is more than double (108%) the number of jobs available than the low point in April.

This table shows the job ad volumes by state for the last two weeks, the previous two weeks and the percentage difference.

ABS Data

ABS data released earlier in the week provides cause for ‘cautious optimism’ according to Premier & Treasurer Peter Gutwein

“Tasmania was one of just two jurisdictions to see jobs growth over the month to 8 August, with growth of 0.6 per cent, reflecting the Government’s steady, responsible and glide-path approach to our recovery,” he said

“This latest data builds on the labour force data for July which shows that 13,400 jobs have returned since the height of the pandemic’s impacts in May.”

“As a state we have responded strongly and while we have focussed on saving lives we are also focussed on rebuilding lives.”

He claimed the government had ‘bold strategies’ to drive job creation and explore new opportunities for Tasmania, including local content, manufacturing and ship-building in the replacement Spirits of Tasmania.

Shadow Treasurer David O’Byrne said while there has been some improvement in Tasmania’s payroll jobs figure, the state remains near the bottom of the nation’s league table in terms of total job losses.

“Total employment is still down five per cent since March, which equates to just under 13,000 job losses – the third worst result in the country, behind Victoria and the ACT,” he said.

Those aged over 70 are still the worst affected, with employment down 19.1 per cent, followed by those aged between 20 and 29, down 7.7 per cent. Wages have also fallen by 4.5 per cent.

“While accommodation and food services continue to struggle amid ongoing border closures and restrictions, agriculture, forestry and fishing have also taken a massive hit, losing 3,200 jobs since mid-March.”

He believes the delay to the replacement of the Spirt of Tasmania vessels ‘compounds the uncertainty’, with industries relying on the increased capacity promised by the government by 2022 now forced to wait until 2028 at the earliest.

“The government’s focus on its infrastructure recovery package is designed to help the construction industry, but it does little to support the agriculture sector and other struggling industries like arts and recreation, finance and insurance, and administration.”