Job ads in Australia fell by 12.2% in February when compared to the same month last year, according to Seek’s latest Employment Dashboard.

By state, Victoria showed the largest decline at 18.8%, followed by the Australian Capital Territory (-17.1%). Tasmania showed the smallest decline at 0.4%.

By industry, Hospitality and Tourism saw a decline of 30.6% over the year. This was followed by the ICT sector (-27.2%). On the other hand, Accounting (2.3%) and Education and Training (1.5%) both reported an increase.

On a monthly basis, job ads were down 1.6% in February while applications per job ad also fell 1.8% over the month.

The Northern Territory reported the biggest increase at 5.0% while New South Wales reported the biggest decline at 2.7%.

On a monthly basis, Education and Training reported an increase of 2.6%. The biggest decrease was seen in the ICT sector (-4.0%).