Employment Trends – February 2025

Snapshot of the latest employment trends for February 2025:

• The unemployment rate is at 4.0% compared to 3.9% in January 2024
• National job ads have slowed 7.5% on SEEK, and 5.2% on Indeed year-on-year
• Job ad volumes on SEEK have decreased 1.8% month-on-month nationally
• Applications per job ad month-on-month increased on SEEK by 0.8%

Job Advertisement Trends

According to SEEK’s Employment Report for February, job advertisements experienced a modest decline of 1.8% month-on-month. However, when viewed year-on-year, ad volumes were down just 7.5%, marking the most stable period since pre-COVID times. (seek.com.au)

Industry Insights

Most industries witnessed a reduction in job ads during February. Notable declines include:

• Trades & Services: -3.9%
• Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics: -3.4%
• Retail & Consumer Products: -4.9%

Conversely, some sectors experienced growth:

• Community Services & Development: +0.9%
• Administration & Office Support: +0.4%

(seek.com.au)

The two largest industries – Trades & Services and Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics – led the overall decline in job ads in February, following significant rises in January. Retail & Consumer Products saw the largest drop in ad volumes for February at -4.9%. Community Services & Development, Administration & Office Support and Sport & Recreation all saw increases in February at 0.9%, 0.4% and 2.8% respectively.

“After job ads grew in January with large increases in the Industrial and Construction sectors, the opposite was true in February as those sectors led a decline” Blair Chapman, Senior Economist at SEEK said. “There were some pockets of opportunity in February with job ad volumes rising in Community Services & Development and Administration & Office Support.”

Horner CEO Perspective

Horner’s Chief Executive Officer, Kylie Heffernan, commented, “The recent employment data underscores the importance of adaptability in today’s job market. While certain sectors face challenges, others, like Community Services and Administration, are increasing. It’s crucial for both job seekers and employers to remain agile and responsive to these evolving dynamics. Whilst there was a 7.5% decrease in job ads on SEEK in February, we are seeing the market stabilise and an increase in confidence from our client with job orders increasing.”

Are you looking for the right talent or your next career move?

If you are finding it challenging to find top talent, contact your local Horner branch, submit a vacancy or email horner@horner.com.au to see how we can assist you with your temporary staffing, permanent recruitment or executive search needs.

Source: SEEK, Indeed, ABS.

About the SEEK Employment Report

The SEEK Employment Report is Australia’s leading employment index and provides a comprehensive overview of the Australian Employment Marketplace. The report includes the SEEK Employment Index (SEI) which measures only new job ads posted within the reported month to provide a clean measure of demand for labour across all classifications.

www.seek.com.au

 About Indeed Hiring Lab

Indeed Hiring Lab creates innovative data insights on the global labour market that inspire new conversations about the state of work. As the economic research arm of Indeed, the world’s number one job site, Hiring Lab is driven by a team of leading economists who provide real-time thought leadership on global labour market conditions, including hiring trends, salary information, popular skills, and employer benefits.

www.hiringlab.org/au/