Skip to main content
 

Regional Job Vacancies Dip To 79,000 In April

21 May 2024

Regional Labour Demand

Regional job vacancies dipped by 3.6 per cent to 79,000 in April 2024. This latest number of job ads is also 10.9 per cent less than a year earlier.  
In comparison, metro areas experienced a lighter monthly drop but a greater annual drop, with decreases of 2.6 per cent and 15.1 per cent respectively. 

Regional Australia job vacancies

Jobs and Skills Australia, monthly internet vacancies, RAI

 

All regions recorded reduced job ads in April 2024. The five regions with the smallest falls are scattered around New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, and the Northern Territory. 

The five regions recording the smallest monthly dips in vacancies from March 2024 to April 2024 were: 

  • Tamworth and North West NSW dipping by 0.4% (1,209 compared to 1,214)
  • Canberra & ACT dipping by 0.5% (6,938 compared to 6,972)
  • Southern Highlands & Snowy dipping by 1.2% (1,213 compared to 1,228)
  • Fleurieu Peninsula & Murray Mallee dipping by 1.4% (1,005 compared to 1,019)
  • Regional Northern Territory dipping by 1.8% (1,079 compared to 1,099)

Different from the annual change pattern throughout the last two years, most regions experienced an annual decline in April, with only seven regions showing an increase.

The five regions with the biggest jumps in vacancies in April 2024 compared with April 2023 were:

  • Regional Northern Territory up by 13.6%
  • North West Tasmania up by 10.0%
  • Launceston and Northeast Tasmania up by 7.5% 
  • Hobart & Southeast Tasmania up by 6.5%
  • Fleurieu Peninsula & Murray Mallee up by 5.6%

In terms of the occupations being demanded, vacancies are largest for Professional roles (27%) of all vacancies in April, followed by Technicians and Trades roles (15%), Community and Personal Service roles (13%), and Clerical and Administrative roles (13%).

SOURCES The Internet Vacancy Index is updated monthly by Jobs and Skills Australia (https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/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).

The regional Australia advantage when it comes to the transition

Net zero. Whether you love it, are wary of it, or ambivalent to it, it’s here. Both in Australia and across the globe, the transition to low-carbon economies is underway. This transformation from a fossil-fuel driven world, to one of renewables, is unlike anything most of us have seen in our lifetime and it will affect each and every one of us.

The year of capturing and cultivating our regional capability

Here at the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) our aspirations are backed by evidence, data and insights and our dream, shared with thousands of Australians, is to ‘rebalance the nation’. It’s a big dream and some might say a bold one, but it’s equally worthy and necessary if we consider the current economic, social and environmental context.

Why population shouldn’t be a dirty word

Cost of living, transition, housing crisis, net zero and interest rates. It seems these are the issues that continue to again circulate through the news cycle in 2024. But if we’re going to get serious about future-proofing this nation, there is one issue that needs elevation - POPULATION.