Australia's job ads fell last month but ICT continues to hold firm as one of the most needed industries.
Monthly data from job ad site Seek listed ICT as one of the sectors with both the largest number of job ads and the highest job ad growth by volume.
The number of ICT job ads on Seek grew by four per cent in August which reflects a rebounding need for tech workers following a dip in demand earlier this year.
The relative strength in the ICT sector shown in the latest data comes amid a nationwide loss in the number of job ads which Seek ANZ managing director, Kendra Banks, said shows the different rates of COVID recovery around the country.
“The national month-on-month decrease of 2.0 per cent is being driven by the existing restrictions in Victoria which are impacting job ad growth,” Banks said.
“Excluding Victoria, the rest of Australia saw a 1.8 per cent increase in job ad volumes in August when compared to July.
“NSW and Victoria, the two biggest contributors to the nation's economy, are currently the only states below the national average for year-on-year job ad growth.”
The pattern reported by Seek is also seen in the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) which found overall hours worked fell by 4.8 per cent in Victoria while it grew 1.8 per cent across the rest of the country.
Australia’s unemployment rate officially dropped in August down to 6.8 per cent.
"Employment rose almost 1 per cent but hours worked rose by a more modest 0.1 per cent,” said the ABS’ head of labour statistics, Bjorn Jarvis.
“Hours fell by 4.8 per cent in Victoria, compared to a 1.8 per cent increase across the rest of Australia.
“The weaker increase in hours worked has also been reflected in the strength of the increase in part-time employment between May and August, which has been almost eight times greater than the increase in full-time employment.”
The underemployment remains high at 11.2 per cent.
