Job Australia: How lockdown is affecting jobs

With multiple states battling the Delta variant, job ad volumes have continued to dip - but there is a silver lining.

July job ad figures have taken a slight tumble as Australia continues battling the Delta variant.

According to SEEK’s July Employment report, job ad figures saw a 4.1 per cent decline month-on-month. Despite this, they’re still 67.9 per cent higher than July 2020 figures and 20.6 per cent higher than numbers from July 2019.

This comes as Greater Sydney enters its eighth week of lockdown, with the entire state also under stay at home orders as of Saturday evening. Parts of Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and parts of Queensland have also enacted strict restrictions in an attempt to control the virus.

“The restrictions in Greater Sydney, which were in place for the entire month and unfortunately remain ongoing, led to month-on-month job ad volumes declining by 14.2 per cent for the whole state,” said SEEK’s Managing Director, Kendra Banks.

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While job ad figures have blitzed volumes from last year, tough lockdowns have undoutedly had an effect. Picture: iStock

However, as the state with the highest employed population, NSW’s decrease in listing volumes also adversely affected national figures.

“NSW employs the largest cohort of people in Australia, and job ad growth or decline in the state will often be reflected in the national figures,” said Ms Banks. “For example, in the Hospitality and Tourism industry job ads fell nationally by 30.7 per cent in July, following a drop of 63.3 per cent in NSW.”

This pattern was also repeated in the Trades and Services (declined 6.9 per cent nationally and 24.8 per cent in NSW) and retail and consumer services (declined 7.8 per cent nationally and 29.6 per cent in NSW), which saw the greatest month-on-month drops in job ad volumes.

This also comes as application per job ad remained at “subdued” levels. While July was the second month in a row where applications saw a minor rise of 2.6 per cent, Ms Banks said it was evident people are still cautious to change jobs.

“Despite the increase, applications are still subdued,” she said. “In comparison to the same month two years ago, current applications per job ad are 33 per cent lower.”

“Job security remains the number one priority for workers, and there is a reluctance to switch roles in the market.”

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The once busy streets of Sydney’s CBD have seen to closure of many cafes, restaurants and bars. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short.

Despite the decreasing figures, Ms Banks said there was one silver lining. Although lockdowns and restrictions do impact job ad numbers, the events of 2020 proved that recovery post-lockdown is also swift.

“New South Wales saw the biggest reduction in the number of new job ads posted on SEEK.com.au in July, down by 14.2 per cent,” said Ms Banks.

“Previous lockdowns in Victoria show that job ad volumes can bounce back quickly, and we hope to see a similar response in states facing restrictions at the moment.”

This article was created in sponsorship with SEEK

Originally published as Job Australia: How lockdown is affecting jobs