Regional Labour Demand
Regional job vacancies dipped by 5.4 per cent to 87,600 in November 2023. The monthly decline in job ads largely reflects seasonal hiring patterns. This latest number of job ads is 3.4 per cent less than a year earlier.
However, metro areas experienced greater drops both monthly and annually, with decreases of 5.9 per cent and 11.6 per cent respectively.
Regional Australia Job Vacancies
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, monthly internet vacancies, RAI
All regions recorded reduced job ads in November 2023. The five regions with the smallest falls are scattered around Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Tasmania.
The annual change in job vacancies across all regions varied significantly, ranging from a substantial increase of 29.9 per cent to a decrease of 13.2 per cent. In comparison, Melbourne and Sydney, the nation’s largest cities, observed the steepest annual declines at 17.5 per cent and 16.1 per cent respectively.
The five regions recording the smallest monthly dips in vacancies from October to November 2023 were:
- Outback Queensland dipping by 0.7% (727 compared to 732)
- Port Augusta & Eyre Peninsula SA dipping by 1.2% (632 compared to 640)
- Yorke Peninsula & Clare Valley SA dipping by 1.2% (382 compared to 386)
- Regional Northern Territory dipping by 1.4% (1,155 compared to 1,171)
- Hobart & Southeast Tasmania dipping by 2.0% (2,163 compared to 2,208
The five regions with the biggest jumps in vacancies in November 2023 compared with November 2022 were:
- Regional Northern Territory up by 29.9%
- South West WA up by 14.0%
- Southern Highlands & Snowy NSW up by 10.4%
- Wimmera & Western VIC up by 10.4%
- North West Tasmania up by 9.4%
In terms of the occupations being demanded, vacancies are largest for Professional roles (29%) of all vacancies in November, followed by Technicians and Trades roles (16%), and Community and Personal Service roles (13%).