Dire outlook: Jobs in decline in every Australian state and territory

New data reveals competition for work has increased in every state and territory. SEE HOW YOUR STATE STACKS UP

Exclusive: The job hunt is getting harder in Australia, with the average position attracting 29 per cent more applicants now than a year ago.

Exclusive data from job site Adzuna revealed competition for work increased in every mainland state and territory, with Queensland experiencing the largest jump, up 34 per cent.

Nationally, the average job listing on Adzuna received 7.3 applications this October, compared to 5.6 last October.

South Australians were up against the most competition, averaging 13.7 applicants per role, while the ACT and New South Wales averaged just 2.5 and 5.7 jobseekers per vacancy, respectively.

It’s getting harder to get a job in Australia.

Adzuna chief executive Raife Watson said it was definitely a case of there being fewer jobs available, rather than more people looking for work.

“Jobs have been on the decline for the last year,” he said.

“Our politicians are saying ‘nothing to see here, we are going to have a budget surplus’ but the RBA says ‘we can’t do any more, we can lower the rate but it’s going to have no effect’ and they are begging the government to create some form of stimulus.

“We need to step up and do more to fix this because we have seen worldwide that if you leave it to later, there is going to be a bigger problem.”

Data from SEEK also revealed a decline in available roles, with job ads down 7.4 per cent year on year nationally in September.

But despite the dire outlook, Mr Watson said there were pockets of job growth in health because of the ageing population, community support because of the NDIS, and cybersecurity because of demand from government and defence.

There’s good news for job seekers in some sectors including health.

“Healthcare, aged care and child care I think will be strong for the foreseeable future,” he said.

“Even if the economy wobbles, those things can’t change.”

Exceptional Resume Writers founder Steven McConnell said jobseekers in competitive markets needed to differentiate themselves from similarly-qualified candidates through a well-considered resume.

“In the past, people did not require resumes as much, they would get the tap on the shoulder or an internal promotion or jobs through their network, but these days those opportunities are less frequent,” he said.

“They need to be very clear as to what the commercial issues of a particular company are and show through every aspect of their communication – their resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and communications during the interview process – how they are uniquely positioned to solve those particular challenges.”

READ THE CAREERS SECTION IN SATURDAY’S THE COURIER-MAIL, THE HERALD SUN, THE ADVERTISER AND THE DAILY TELEGRAPH.

JOBSEEKERS PER VACANCY LISTED ON ADZUNA

AUSTRALIA: 29% more difficult to find work this year than last year; 5.6 applicants per role in October, 2018; 7.3 applicants per role in October, 2019

NSW: 30%; 4.3; 5.7

VIC: 31%; 5.4; 7

QLD: 34.4%; 8.1; 10.9

WA: 10%; 9; 9.9

SA: 25%; 11; 13.7

ACT: 8%; 2.4; 2.5

TOP TIPS FOR A STANDOUT RESUME

START STRONG

Cut to the chase and concisely list your key selling points and achievements in the opener of your resume.

RESULTS TALK

Don’t tell them what you did, show them how well you did it. EG. Saved the business $20,000 a month by negotiating supply contract discounts in exchange for new payment terms.

OPTIMISE YOUR CONTENT

Hiring technologies scan resumes for words that indicate you are a match so include keywords from the advertisement. Never put important information in headers, footers, text boxes or graphics as these may not be picked up.

BE MEMORABLE

Drop a name in your application letter if appropriate, or call and find out something others don’t know about the role that you can include.

Source: Outplacement Australia director Gillian Kelly