Regional Labour Demand
After breaking another record in October, regional job vacancies dipped by 3.7 per cent to 90,600 in November 2022. This latest number of job ads is still 14.9 per cent more than a year earlier – demand for labour in regions is still very high. The monthly decline in job ads largely reflects seasonal hiring patterns.
Regional Australia job vacancies
Source: National Skills Commission, Regional Australia Institute
All regions recorded reduced job ads in November 2022. The five regions with the smallest falls are scattered around Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.
Latest advertised vacancies are well in excess of what was being advertised a year earlier in all regions but one. The annual growth in vacancies in the various regions are diverse, ranging from around 3 per cent to 40 per cent. The only region where there were fewer vacancies in November 2022 than November 2021 is Dubbo and Western NSW (down by 16.1 per cent). This point-to-point comparison masks the fact that the region is coming off a peak in vacancies in late 2021.
The five regions recording the smallest monthly dips in vacancies from October to November 2022 were:
- Bendigo & High Country dipping by 0.9% (4,348 compared to 4,388)
- Ballarat & Central Highlands dipping by 1.1% (1,439 compared to 1,455)
- Blue Mountains, Bathurst & Central West NSW dipping by 1.2% (2,638 compared to 2,671)
- Central Queensland dipping by 1.3% (4,555 compared to 4,614)
- Tamworth and North West NSW dipping by 1.3% (1,513 compared to 1,533)
The five regions with the biggest jumps in vacancies in November 2022 compared with November 2021 were:
- Yorke Peninsula & Clare Valley up by 42.9%
- Central Queensland up by 32.4%
- Outback Queensland up by 27.8%
- Tamworth and North West NSW up by 25.9%
- Blue Mountains, Bathurst & Central West NSW up by 23.5%
In terms of the occupations being demanded, vacancies are largest for professional roles (26%) of all vacancies in November, followed by Technicians and Trades roles (15%), Clerical and Administrative roles (13 %), and Community and Personal Service roles (13%).
SOURCES The Internet Vacancy Index is updated monthly by the Department of Education Skills, Employment and Business (https://labourmarketinsights.gov.au/our-research/internet-vacancy-index/). The RAI has an interactive Regional Job Vacancy map of the data showing vacancies in 37 regions across Australia (regionalaustralia.org.au/home/regional-jobs-vacancy-map).