Australia Job Ads Fall the Most in 6 Months

ANZ-Indeed Australian Job Ads slipped 3.1% month-on-month in March 2026, reversing February’s 16-month high of 3.2% and signaling the first decline in three months. The drop also marked the steepest decrease since last September, suggesting that surging global energy costs are starting to weigh on business confidence and hiring intentions. Weakness was concentrated in education, nursing, personal care, and retail, offsetting gains in project management and engineering roles. Meanwhile, job ads in sectors more exposed to the Middle East conflict, such as logistics and transport, were largely unchanged, pointing to a cautious but not yet deteriorating outlook in those industries.

ANZ-Indeed Australian Job Ads rose 3.2% month-on-month in January 2025, easing from an upwardly revised 5.2% gain in December. Despite the slower pace, it marked the first back-to-back monthly increases since October 2024, lifting ads to their highest level since then. According to Indeed senior economist Callam Pickering, the New Year has coincided with a stronger hiring appetite nationwide. In February, ads for nurses climbed to their highest level in nearly two years, while management roles reached the strongest level since September 2023. Vacancies also rose solidly in retail and administration, suggesting broad-based labour demand. Growth was widespread across mainland states, though Tasmania lagged. New South Wales recorded the largest increase, followed by Western Australia and Queensland.

ANZ-Indeed Australian Job Ads surged 4.4% month-on-month in December 2025, rebounding sharply from a revised 0.8% decline in the prior month and marking the first increase since July. It was also the strongest monthly expansion since February 2022, indicating a renewed pick-up in hiring demand toward year-end. The rebound likely reflected seasonal recruitment ahead of the holiday period, easing concerns over economic slowdown, and continued resilience in consumer-facing activity. Gains were concentrated in sectors such as retail, customer service, and food services, which typically see stronger staffing needs late in the year. On an annual basis, job advertisements fell 3.2%, but remained 11.8% above pre-pandemic levels, underscoring a still-tight labor market despite some cooling from earlier peaks.