Job ads posted on job board Seek Australia in May 2021 were up 164.4% when compared to May 2020 when the pandemic first hit.

May 2021 job ads were up 27.2% when compared to May 2019.

Following two record-breaking months May saw a slight decline of 0.6% in new job ad numbers month-on-month. Kendra Banks, managing director at Seek ANZ, said the 0.6% decline is the first month-on-month drop since April 2020 and ‘is to be expected after unprecedented growth.’

Meanwhile, current job application levels per ad are at the lowest they have been on Seek since 2012.

“This is a broad problem across industries and location, with a variety of underlying drivers impacting application numbers,” Seek stated.

Banks continued, “Consistent with our recent reporting, the number of applications per job ad in May continued to decline, falling 8.7%. This is evident in all states and territories and across most industries, with 25 of the 28 industries we report on showing a decrease. 

“Candidate activity on seek.com.au shows us applicants continue to monitor job opportunities in very high numbers, but there is a reluctance to apply. There are several factors behind this decline,” Banks stated.

“We can see that with more jobs available, there is a knock-on effect to the number of applications per job ad posted with candidates both having more choice and being more selective. In addition, the reduced labour supply is impacting on the ability to fill roles, which includes the decrease in workers from overseas. There is also a hesitancy for candidates to commit to applying for new roles after such a turbulent 12 months or so, with jobseekers valuing job security in light of Covid-19,” Banks said.

By states, Victoria recorded the highest growth in job ads, year-on-year, in May (204.9%). When compared to May 2019, jobs ads grew the most in the Northern Territory (61.4%).