Job vacancies up 2.9% in May
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The news: Job vacancies were up 2.9% to 339,400 in May with a quarterly rise offsetting a fall in the three months to February.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows that job vacancies year-on-year were down by 9600 positions, or 2.8%, which was the smallest annual decline in the past two years.
The numbers: Job vacancies increased in eight of 18 industries measured by the ABS over the quarter. Construction had the biggest rise in vacancies at 20.6%, while professional, scientific and technical services were another significant contributor up 12.6%.
The biggest falls were in the wholesale trade and electricity, gas, water and waste services with declines of 13.3% and 12.6% respectively.
The private sector was the biggest driver of job vacancies (3.2%) but the public sector also contributed (0.6%).
Looking at year-on-year data, job vacancies declined in 10 of the 11 industries measured.
What they said: "The rise in the level of job vacancies in the three months to May followed a fall in the three months to February 2025," said ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick.
"The rise in job vacancies was driven by industries with a high proportion of skilled workers, including professional, scientific and technical services, and construction.
"Over the year, the number of unemployed people for each job vacancy grew from 1.7 to 1.8. This is well below the pre-pandemic level of 3.1 in February 2020, indicating there is still high labour demand."
The source: Australian Bureau of Statistics media release
