Job advertisements in Australia decreased by 8.9% year-on-year in July 2023 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to ANZ-Indeed Job Ads data published on ANZ Bank.

The 8.9% fall is an improvement from the 10% annual fall reported in June.

ANZ-Indeed Australian job ads rose by 0.4% month-on-month in July following a downward revision in June to -2.7% month-on-month from the -2.5% month-on-month figure that was originally reported.

In trend terms, the series declined 0.7% month-on-month in July. Job ads have fallen 10.4% from the September peak but remain high compared to historical levels.

ANZ Economist Madeline Dunk said, “ANZ-Indeed Australian Job Ads rose a touch in July. But the series has fallen 2.1% over the past three months, suggesting the July lift is likely to be a blip.”

Dunk added that there could be a gradual cooling of the labour market ahead.

Indeed Senior Economist Callam Pickering said, “In July, ongoing declines in New South Wales and Victoria were offset by gains in the other states and territories. That has been a common occurrence throughout 2023. Since the beginning of the year, job ads are down in three-quarters of sectors Indeed analysed, led by food preparation, personal care and cleaning & sanitation. Some occupations, most notably those in the healthcare sector, have strengthened this year, defying the national trend.”

"Recruitment overall remains quite challenging but strong population growth, combined with the ongoing decline in job ads, is slowly addressing skill shortages,” Pickering said.

ANZ Bank’s job ads data is based on information provided by the operators of the following sites: Indeed (au.indeed.com); 2018-ongoing; Workforce Australia, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (workforceaustralia.gov.au) and previous iterations; 1999-ongoing; Seek (seek.com.au); 1999-2022; and newspaper job ads; 1975-2018.