October 3, Canberra (RAS/ Xinhua) – The number of job vacancies available in Australia has decreased for the second consecutive quarter. This indicates a decline in worker demand in certain sectors of the country’s labor market. According to the latest data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, job vacancies dropped by 0.9 percent in the three months ending in August. During this period, total vacancies fell by 3,000 to reach 325,000. Earlier, vacancies had also declined by 2.2 percent in the three months leading up to May. The consecutive quarterly drops highlight weakened demand in Australia’s employment market.
Greater Decline in Private Sector: The recent decrease is mainly attributed to the private sector. In the three months through August, private sector vacancies fell by 2 percent, or 5,800 positions. In contrast, the public sector experienced growth in vacancies. During the same period, vacancies in the public sector increased by 7.8 percent, or 2,800 positions. This reflects a contrasting situation in job demand between the private and public sectors.
Large Drop in Wholesale Trade: By industry, the wholesale trade sector saw the most significant decline in job vacancies, with an 18 percent decrease. Similarly, the professional, scientific, and technical services sector experienced a 17.3 percent drop. These substantial reductions played a key role in lowering overall private sector vacancies. However, the retail trade sector showed a notable increase, with vacancies rising by 24.5 percent—the largest growth among industries.
Annual Comparison: Compared to the same period last year through August, Australia saw a 1.3 percent decline in job vacancies. The latest employment data reveals an uneven situation across the labor market. While demand for employees has decreased notably in private sectors such as wholesale trade and professional services, vacancies have increased in retail trade, financial and insurance services, as well as the public sector. Therefore, although total vacancies have declined, it cannot be concluded that demand has weakened uniformly across all industries.
