Job advertisements in Australia plummeted by 20.5% year-on-year in August 2023, according to data from job board Seek.

When compared to the previous month, job ads increased by 1.8% in August 2023. Applications per job ad rose by 6.5% when compared to the last month.

By state, the most significant contributor to the 20.5% annual decline was Victoria with a fall of 27.2%. This was followed by 23.8% for New South Wales and 14.7% for Queensland. The smallest decrease was seen in the Northern Territory (2.5%).

By industry, the most significant decrease was seen in hospitality and tourism (-40.9%). The ICT (information and communication technology) industry saw a decline of 35.2%. Education and training reported the lowest decrease at 3.2%.

On a monthly basis, the most significant decrease was seen in ICT (-4.2%). On the other hand, retail and consumer products saw the highest increase at 3.2%. Education and training (1.7%) and accounting (0.4) also reported increases.