Australia’s job market is showing signs of bouncing back, with more job ads posted and salaries holding steady, according to the latest SEEK Employment Report. The positive shift offers hope for job seekers and employers navigating recent challenges.
In April, the number of job ads on SEEK went up by 1.8% compared to March, this was only the second time this year that job ads increased, after falling in the previous two months. Over the past year, job ads were still down overall, but the drop was smaller than before, 5.7% lower than last April, which is actually the smallest annual decline since the end of 2022.
SEEK Senior Economist Dr Blair Chapman commented, “Job ad volumes rebounded in April, up 1.8%, and the annual rate of decline has slowed to a two-year low. Looking through the recent month-on-month noise, we continue to see job ads stabilise in line with our expectations. This is reflected in the trend data, albeit with extreme weather conditions and global uncertainty adding volatility of late.”
The report highlights a significant recovery in Queensland, where job ads surged by 7.6% m/m, driven by a rebound in sectors like Hospitality & Tourism (up 25.7%) and Trades & Services (up 9.6%). This follows a sharp decline in March due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Western Australia and South Australia also saw positive growth, with job ads increasing by 2.3% and 2.2%, respectively. However, the Northern Territory experienced the largest decline, with job ads dropping by 2.9% m/m, and New South Wales saw a slight decrease of 0.1%.
On an annual basis, South Australia was the only state to record positive year-on-year (y/y) growth in job ads at 5.9%, while the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria saw the steepest declines at 14.7% and 11.3%, respectively.
Applications per job ad rose by 2.6% m/m, marking the second consecutive month of growth, and were 16.2% higher y/y. Dr Chapman noted, “In recent years we have seen strong growth in applications per ad for government roles, perhaps reflecting the increased desire by candidates to work from home, alongside the perceived work-life balance and job security that a government role offers.”
Salary growth remains steady
The SEEK Advertised Salary Index (ASI) reported stable growth in advertised salaries, with a 0.3% m/m increase in April 2025. Annual salary growth stood at 3.6%, slightly outpacing the 3.4% y/y growth in living costs for employee households in the March quarter.
Dr Chapman stated, “Advertised salary growth has been broadly steady at around 3.6% year-ended for six months with stable monthly growth around 0.3% since December. For the first time since early 2022, the annual growth in advertised salaries is faster than the growth in living costs for employee households, which was 3.4% y/y in the March quarter.”
The Northern Territory led state-level salary growth at 4.2% y/y, followed by Queensland at 4.1%. New South Wales saw a slight uptick, with advertised salary growth reaching 3.6% y/y, up 0.4 percentage points from its recent low. Tasmania recorded the slowest growth at 1.5% y/y.
Industry trends
The Legal industry posted the fastest annual advertised salary growth at 6.6%, though its month-on-month growth has slowed. Banking & Financial Services followed at 6.1% y/y, despite a modest 0.2% increase over the past three months. Consulting & Strategy saw rapid growth over the quarter at 3.1%, driven by demand for higher-paying roles. Government & Defence also showed steady annual growth at 5.1%, reflecting recent Enterprise Bargaining Agreements.
Conversely, the Advertising, Arts & Media industry recorded a 0.1% y/y decline in advertised salaries, with weak labour demand suggesting limited prospects for improvement.
Among industries, Advertising, Arts & Media saw the largest job ad growth at 15.5% m/m, followed by Real Estate & Property at 11.8% and Hospitality & Tourism at 9.8%. Insurance & Superannuation experienced the largest decline in job ads, down 3.8% m/m.
The SEEK Employment Report notes that results in March and April are often variable due to the timing of Easter and ANZAC Day. Despite recent volatility from extreme weather and global uncertainty, the stabilization of job ads and steady salary growth suggest a cautiously optimistic outlook for the Australian employment market.
Dr Chapman added, “There is an expectation by most economists that growth in the ABS’ broader wage price index, which grew by 3.2% y/y in December, will increase over the next few quarters, as previously negotiated Enterprise Bargaining Agreements will be reflected in this data.”
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