New job ads posted on the job board Seek Australia posted its highest number of job ads in a month in the job board’s history. Seek job ads were up 75.1% year-on-year in March 2021 compared to March 2020, when the fallout of Covid-19 first impacted the labour market.

At the same time, new job ads on Seek Australia have increased by 10.3%, comparing March 2021 to February 2021. This is the highest month-on-month growth since June 2020.

Kendra Banks, Managing Director, Seek ANZ, said, “What a difference a year makes. In mid-March 2020, we saw Covid have a swift and extreme impact on the labour market, 12 months on and we have seen the highest number of job ads posted on Seek in a month than at any time in our more than 23-year history.”

By state, Tasmania saw the highest year-on-year job ads growth.

“It is fantastic to see so many jobs available and a real testament to Australian employers’ hard work and resilience over the last year. There are factors that are driving these strong numbers that are important to consider, including many of the jobs currently being advertised are for roles that were displaced in the last year,” Banks said.

“In February, applications per ad dropped 14.0% compared to February 2020, and the current applications per ad are at the lowest levels they have been since 2012,” Banks added. “There are likely many reasons contributing to this decline such as: a reduced labour supply impacting the ability to fill roles; workers displaying a more cautious approach to career moves following a turbulent year; and with more jobs available, there is a knock-on effect to the number of applications per job ad posted.”