National Job Ads Are At A 23-Year High But Applications Are Low

Posted on December 2021 by ITR
National Job Ads Are At A 23 Year High But Applications Are Low

Job advertising had a marked turnaround in October with the highest level in Seek’s 23-year history according to their latest Employment Report. 

The latest SEEK Employment Report shows national job ad volumes increased by 10.2% on a month-on-month basis - 63.2% higher nationally than in the same month in 2020 and up 44.0% compared to 2019.

SEEK Employment Report

According to Kendra Banks, Managing Director, SEEK ANZ: “In October, SEEK had more jobs ads on-site than ever before. A combination of the lifting of restrictions in our two largest employment markets, New South Wales and Victoria, along with businesses getting ready for what will hopefully be a bumper holiday period has had a huge impact on this month’s job ad volumes.”


“In New South Wales, job ads increased by more than 20% for the second month running, and Victoria recorded growth of 16.3%. In both states, roles within Hospitality & Tourism led the way with a jump of 46.2% in New South Wales and 123.8% in Victoria.”

Australia record

Australian job ad %


As restrictions have eased, job ads across all industries have grown. Customer-facing roles drove a lot of the growth, mainly in Trades & Service and Hospitality & Tourism.


Below is are some of the types of roles most in-demand within the top three sectors for October:

Trades & Services with roles in 

  • Automotive trades

  • Labourers

  • Electricians

  • Welders & boiler makers

  • Technicians

  • Carpentry & cabinet making

  • and Hair & beauty services


Healthcare & Medical with roles in 

  • Physiotherapy

  • OT & rehabilitation

  • Aged care nursing

  • Dental

  • Psychology

  • Counselling & Social work

  • General & Surgical nursing

Hospitality & Tourism includes roles for 

  • Chefs/ cooks

  • Waiting staff

  • Bar & beverage staff

  • Management

  • Kitchen & sandwich hands

  • and Front office & guest services


While traffic remained high, applications were markedly low compared with historical trends.

It comes as Australia’s east coast reopens after almost five months of lockdowns, and the country faces a skills shortage as a result of almost two years of closed international borders. 

The lack of qualified workers in some fields has led sectors as diverse as tech and hospitality to begin offering significant wage bumps and sign-on incentives to entice a limited supply of local workers.

Contributing to application decline, Ms Banks said recent SEEK data showed that 28% of Australians were likely to consider changing jobs in the next six months. “Traditionally the lead up to the end of the year is not a time to switch jobs. Therefore, we expect more movement early in 2022,” she said.