Job vacancies grow 2.7% in February quarter as private sector loosens: ABS
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The news: Australian job vacancies lifted 2.7% in the three months to February 2026, driven by the private sector, according to the latest quarterly figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
This is the highest level since November 2024 and is in line with the higher-than-expected unemployment rate reported for February.
The numbers: The estimated total job vacancies in seasonally adjusted terms was 337,900, a 2.7% increase from November 2025.
Private sector job vacancies saw a 3.2% increase to 299,000, while the public sector saw an increase of 0.7% to 39,000.
Job vacancies were up in 12 of the 18 industries. The largest proportional rise was in the construction industry (+19.3%) followed by wholesale trade (+14.2%).
The largest proportional fall was in information media and telecommunications (-9.5%) followed by arts and recreation services (-5.9%).
Vacancies also rose in seven of the eight states and territories. The Northern Territory posted the largest increase (+23%) while South Australia was the only state to post a fall in vacancies (-2.3%).
The context: Unemployment remains tighter than the RBA would prefer at 4.3% as of February but came in higher than expected.
The monetary policy board flagged at its March decision to increase the interest rate that excessive labour demand could be adding pressure to inflation as are capacity limits and the oil supply shock from the US-Israel war with Iran.
Economists are also expecting further rate hikes throughout the year. The next rate decision is scheduled for May.
What they said: “There were 337,900 job vacancies in February 2026, the highest level since November 2024.” ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick said.
“The growth was led by rises in the Construction industry as well as in customer facing jobs like in Retail trade and Accommodation and food services.”
The sources: ABS media release, ABS data
