More Australians are employed at present than at any time on record. Job vacancies were also at their highest in the quarter to February, which is good news if you’re looking for new opportunities. In the three months to February 2019, employment rose by 68,000 people and over 283,600 people have found jobs in the past 12 months. While there’s a lot of talk in the media about flexible workforces, it’s interesting to note that the number of people in full-time employment increased at a greater rate than those working part-time over the past 12 months.

Some sectors are booming

Several sectors have had strong jobs growth over the past year, with professional, scientific, technical and other services leading the charge. Public administration and safety have also grown, adding 164,200 jobs in the past 12 months. The government and defence industry has also increased the number of job ads by 17.3%. This has been driven by strong spending in those sectors and increased demand for those with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) qualifications.

With the NDIS rollout and a focus on aged care, roles in the healthcare, medical and community services’ sectors are also experiencing high growth. In fact, the sector continues to be the biggest employer in Australia with over 1.7 million employees. Opportunities exist in the sector for candidates with a broad range of skills and experience from medical to allied health professionals.

All states except Tasmania have increased their rate of employment in the past year, while both the ACT and NT have also had a decline. The states that have had the highest increase in job vacancies are NSW, Victoria and the ACT. While South Australia has seen a decline in advertised vacancies and Northern Territory has remained stable.

Election uncertainty is affecting some industries

While employment is on the rise overall, several industries have seen a downturn in recent months. The industries that have decreased in size the most include manufacturing, construction and retail trade. While design, architecture, real estate and property have also seen a decline in the number of jobs advertised. This is in part due to uncertainty over the upcoming election that is shaking business confidence. Only time will tell whether this trend will swing back once the election results are known.

While the number of jobs in construction has decreased, the number of vacancies in the industry have increased which is promising for future growth. With many significant infrastructure projects in the pipeline and more to be expected given the upcoming election, this trend may well continue into next year.

If you’d like to know more about where your job opportunities lie this year, partner with an agency who has their finger on the pulse.