Job adverts half in one year: Olivier

The collapse in the labour market since the onset of the global financial crisis has
been highlighted by a halving of the number of jobs advertised over the past year, a
survey finds.
The Olivier Job Index found the number of jobs advertised online fell by 7.43 per
cent in April to be down 49.84 per cent on the same month a year ago.
Transport was the hardest hit sector, with a drop of 18.04 per cent in April, amid
fears about a further decline in international air travel because of the outbreak of
swine flu in humans.
"We can expect the flu alerts to be a contagion that affects work prospects, too,"
Olivier Group director Robert Olivier said.
"When the SARS fears peaked in '03, we tracked two month's decline in tourism and
transport.
"But then as the economy was rebounding, recovery in those industries was quick.
"At this time we have to wait and see," he said.
The number of engineering jobs advertised, which fell 14.06 per cent last month,
pointed to the continued decline of the mineral exporters.
Also hard hit was human resources, down 13.86 per cent, advertising and media lost
12.44 per cent and accounting was down 12.06 per cent.
The administration and clerical sector posted the biggest percentage decline in
advertised jobs over the past year, with a decline of 72.01 per cent in 12 months.
The survey found the raw number of job ads fell from 204,433 at the beginning to
183,837 at the end of the month.
"Easter took the steam out of an already subdued market," Mr Olivier said.
"The seasonally adjusted figures show a significant structural decline in job
opportunities for Australians set to continue."
He said many large organisations were not advertising but instead were now using
people in their redeployment pool rather than firing them outright.
"While we respect the need to utilise loyal employees, organisations will be aware
of the abundance of talent now available and will make a decision based on the best
person for the job," Mr Olivier said.
Of the 16 sectors surveyed, Healthcare was the only sector not to post a fall in
April, with a 0.67 per cent increase in the number of job advertisements.
The threat of a potential flu pandemic could give that sector a further boost in job
numbers.
The Australian Capital Territory posted an overall decline of just 0.78 per cent in
April and growth in 12 of the 16 occupational sectors surveyed.
The other buoyant states in April were South Australia, with a fall of 2.78 per cent
and Tasmania, a decline of 4.24 per cent.
"The less globally exposed states are doing better," Mr Olivier said.
Hardest hit of the states was Western Australia, which fell 12.33 per cent last
month, reflecting the decline in mining.
Mr Olivier said despite the small respite this month, the prospects for the jobless
continued to worsen.
"On our figures, unemployment must continue to rise," he said.
"The federal budget will be framed with that in mind, keeping people in jobs must be
a high priority for our politicians.
"And that's especially true for young people, with our figures showing graduate jobs
have dropped by 56 per cent over the past 12 months."
The Olivier Job Index surveyed 194,126 positions vacant ads on commercial job
websites on average each week in April.