Job advertisements in Australia were 22.9% lower year-on-year in August 2024 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to ANZ-Indeed job ads data published on ANZ Bank.

ANZ-Indeed Australian Job Ads fell 2.1% month-on-month in August. In trend terms, the series was down 2.2% month-on-month. While ANZ-Indeed Job Ads have fallen 29.8% from its peak in November 2022, the series is still 11.4% above pre-pandemic levels.

ANZ economist, Madeline Dunk said in a press release, “ANZ-Indeed Australian Job Ads declined in August for the seventh consecutive month to be down 15.3% so far in 2024. Yet employment has risen by 318k in 2024 (273k in full-time employment), and six-month average employment growth is running at its strongest pace since late 2022. Part of the decline in the series (which measures total job ads rather than new job ads) is likely due to workers finding jobs.”

Indeed senior economist, Callam Pickering added, “In August, Job Ads continued to fall across most states, led by Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland, which more than offset gains across South Australia and Tasmania. The 22.9% decline in job ads over the past year has been concentrated in New South Wales and Victoria, with more modest falls elsewhere.”

“Defying national trends, job ads jumped in August in key sectors, such as retail trade, education and food preparation,” Pickering said. “For retail trade, August marks the beginning of the Christmas hiring period, with opportunities set to rise sharply over the next few months.”

ANZ’s 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).