Jobs in-demand Australia: Labourers, chefs, psychologists on the rise

As job ads continue to rebound to their pre-pandemic levels, those after jobs in trades and services, healthcare, hospitality and tourism are in luck.

As Australia’s employment market continues to recover from COVID-19, there are three key industries driving the growth in job ads.

According to SEEK’s latest employment report, while job ads grew by 8.5 per cent nationally from September to October 2020, the big movers were trades and services, healthcare and medical, and hospitality and tourism.

In-demand roles included:

Trades and services: Automotive trades, labourers, electricians, hair and beauty services, welders, boiler makers, technicians, carpentry and cabinet making, gardening and landscaping.

Healthcare and medical: Physiotherapists, occupational therapists and rehabilitation, nurses (aged care and general medical), psychology, counselling and social work, dental and medical administration.

Hospitality and tourism: Chefs, cooks, wait staff, bar and beverage staff, management, kitchen and sandwich hands, housekeeping and front office and guest services.

The reopening of hospitality venues in Victoria have contributed to the industry’s demand for employees. Picture: iStock.

While ad volumes in October were down 11.7 per cent compared to the same month last year, its the smallest year on year gap since the start of the pandemic.

SEEK’s Managing Director Kendra Banks said easing restrictions in Victoria will continue to help job ad prospects.

As of November 22, Victorians can have outdoor gatherings of 50 people and indoor gatherings of 30 per day. Cafes, bars and restaurants have also been given the green light to host up to 150 patrons indoors and 300 people outdoors depending on the venue size. Galleries, cinemas and libraries can also host a capped total of 150 patrons at any one time.

“We know the nation’s job ad growth is closely linked to the conditions in New South Wales and Victoria, and we’re very pleased to report robust performances in both states for consecutive months,” she said.

“Victoria’s strong rise in job ads posted on seek.com.au comes off the back of a further easing of restrictions across October, and with a much wider relaxation of restrictions in recent weeks, we can expect to see this growth to continue.”

Elsewhere in the country, several states and territories now have job ad volumes comparable to pre-COVID levels. Topping the list was Tasmania with a 23 per cent growth in job ads between October 2019 and 2020. Now only three states and territories have yet to catch up, with the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria, reporting year-on-year declines of 13.3 per cent, 15.7 per cent and 31.3 per cent respectively.

Tasmania, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland are now all reporting higher job ad volumes than this time last year. Picture: iStock.

This news comes as the latest figures from the Bureau of Statistics released on November 19 showed Australia’s unemployment rate had increased by 0.1 per cent to 7 per cent in October. The month also saw the creation of 178,800 new jobs including an extra 97,000 full-time jobs and 81,800 part-time roles.

Despite a bigger volume of active job seekers, Ms Banks said she was unsure whether the end of year period will coincide with a “traditional” drop off in job ads.

“We would traditionally see a quieter job market for both candidates and hirers as we head into the summer months, particularly in December and January, before picking up again after Australia Day,” she said.

“Given recent trends, we will watch with interest to see if more job opportunities than usual arise ahead of the holiday period.”

This article was created in partnership with SEEK