Regional job vacancies set yet another record in the month of August 2021. After July’s record result, vacancies inched higher in August to reach nearly 69,800 advertised jobs.
This update comes as the Regional Australia Institute marks its 10th anniversary. 10 years ago when the Institute was established, job vacancies were also at (then) record levels. Back then however, the large number of job ads reflected the country’s then two-speed economy – vacancies were narrowly based across the resources sectors and states (mainly Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory). Total job vacancies in regional New South Wales and Victoria were at best holding steady during that time.
This time round, regional NSW, regional Victoria, regional South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory are all advertising record or near-record numbers of jobs. The regional areas of the remaining states – Queensland and Western Australia – are each posting job vacancies not far below previous records. As for the Northern Territory, a recovery from a protracted economic downturn is now in train evidenced by job ads trending higher over the last ten months.
Moreover, despite the effects of the latest various lockdowns across the country – whether in capital city or regional locations – demand for labour across regional Australia has remained strong. COVID-19 has not so much depressed regional economies, but restricted their access to labour (both domestic and international). It is labour shortages that are constraining the prospects of regional businesses and communities.
While aggregate regional vacancies increased in August, the lockdowns across NSW, the ACT and to a lesser extent, Victoria (where the most severe ongoing restrictions have largely been limited to Melbourne) have stilled weighed on job vacancies in those jurisdictions.
NSW saw job vacancies decline in eight out of the state’s nine regions (job vacancies were largely unchanged in the Riverina & Murray region). As a result total regional NSW job vacancies declined by 3.9 per cent in August.
Job vacancies also edged lower in the ACT (down by 0.3 per cent) and were just about unchanged in regional Victoria (up by 0.2 per cent) at 9,943 advertised jobs. In a sign of what the labour market can expect as lockdowns become less pervasive in coming months, big increases in vacancies across the other states offset the results in the mainland’s southeast: job vacancies grew by 7.2 per cent in regional South Australia, by 6.3 per cent in Tasmania, by 5.7 per cent in regional Western Australia, by 1.9 per cent in the Northern Territory.
The five regions with the biggest jumps in vacancies between July and August 2021 were:
- York Peninsula & Clare Valley in SA with 10% more vacancies in August 2021 (237) than in July 2021 (215)
- Outback Queensland up by 9% (602 compared to 551)
- Fleurieu Peninsula & Murray Mallee in SA up by 8% (816 compared to 754)
- Hobart and Southeast Tasmania up by 8% (1,661 compared with 1,539)
- Toowoomba & Southwest Queensland up by 6% (2,117compared with 1,995)
The five regions with the biggest jumps in vacancies over the year to date are:
- Darwin up by 46%
- Dubbo and Western NSW up by 44%
- Hobart and Southeast Tasmania up by 39%
- Regional Norther Territory up by 36%
- Geelong and Surf Coast in Victoria up by 36%
