South Australian job ads climb in April and May despite national decline

SA is overperforming in job ad increases, new data shows, but analysts say people have been reluctant to apply for some.

The number of jobs advertised in South Australia continues to climb despite a dip nationally, new figures reveal.

A SEEK jobs report shows that in April and May there was 1.5 per cent growth in the volume of jobs advertised.

Statewide, advertising shrankby 0.6 per cent.

Comparing May 2019 with May 2021, SA recorded 58 per cent growth, the third highest behind the Northern Territory with 61.4 per cent and Tasmania’s 61 per cent.

Analysts say the increase has been driven by people reluctant to apply for new jobs in Covid-tough times and a lack of overseas applicants.

The top three industries positively contributing are human resources and recruitment; mining, energy and resources; and information and communication technology.

Managing director of SEEK ANZ, Kendra Banks said the numbers were “extraordinarily high”.

“Queensland, South Australia and the ACT continued to show month-on-month increases in job ad volume,” she said.

Ms Banks said in more good news for jobseekers, applications per job advertised continued to be at the lowest level since 2012.

“The number of applications per job ad in May continued to decline – falling 8.7 per cent,” she said.

“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.

“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.”