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Regional Job Vacancies Rebound To 90,200 

25 August 2023

Regional Labour Demand

After a slight dip in June, regional job vacancies rebounded to a high of 90,200 advertised jobs in July 2023. This total is a 3.5 per cent increase on June, and 2.7 per cent higher than a year earlier. The profile of annual growth in regional Australia stands in stark contrast to metro Australia, where job ads have declined by 10.1 per cent year-over-year. 

 

Regional Australia job vacancies

Source: National Skills Commission, Regional Australia Institute

 

Every regional area reported monthly growth. The Northern Territory, Regional Queensland and Tasmania had the highest rates of vacancy growth from June to July. The top growth regions are scattered around the Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and Tasmania. 

The annual change in job vacancies across all regions varied significantly, ranging from a substantial increase of 34.0 per cent to a modest decrease of 10.0 per cent. In comparison, Sydney and Melbourne, the nation’s largest cities, witnessed the steepest annual declines at 16.3 per cent and 12.2 per cent respectively. 

The five regions recording the biggest monthly increases in vacancies from June to July 2023 were: 

  • Regional Northern Territory with 8.3% more vacancies in July 2023 (1,049) than in June 2023 (968)  
  • Yorke Peninsula & Clare Valley up by 6.2% (375 compared to 353)
  • Far North Queensland up by 5.3% (7,409 compared to 7,034)
  • Newcastle & Hunter up by 5.2% (6,966 compared to 6,622)
  • Launceston and Northeast Tasmania up by 5.1% (982 compared to 935)

The five regions with the biggest jumps in vacancies in July 2023 compared with July 2022 were:

  • Yorke Peninsula & Clare Valley up by 34.0%
  • Central Queensland up by 23.9%
  • Regional Northern Territory up by 19.9%
  • North West Tasmania up by 18.9%
  • Toowoomba and South West QLD up by 14.8% 

In terms of the occupations being demanded, vacancies are largest for Professional roles (29% of all vacancies in July), followed by Technicians and Trades roles (15%), Community and Personal Service roles (13%), and Clerical and Administrative roles (13%).

SOURCES The Internet Vacancy Index is updated monthly by the Department of Education Skills, Employment and Business (https://labourmarketinsights.gov.au/our-research/internet-vacancy-index/). The RAI has an interactive Regional Job Vacancy map of the data showing vacancies in 37 regions across Australia (regionalaustralia.org.au/home/regional-jobs-vacancy-map).