IPA, one of Australia’s largest recruiting firms, showed job vacancies falling six percent throughout the month of January. The latest monthly data also documents a 73 percent surge in candidate applications throughout the same period.
“The jump in applications reflects people acting on their New Year’s resolution to change roles,” said Rabieh Krayem, CEO of IPA.
The fall in employer demand follows a 14-month high in December for job orders. The final week in January was strong, with demand back to early December levels.
Krayem said this month’s figures understate the health of the jobs market. “December was an especially good month, while January had a slow start. With January finishing strongly and forward orders for February from employers looking very positive, I believe the jobs market is still on a steady upward trend.”
The temporary market remains strong whilst the permanent market is steady, said Krayem. “We’re seeing a strong temporary market, a trend that has been maintained for several months. Many employers still prefer to have staff on our books rather than theirs. We’ll know that confidence is back to pre-GFC levels when these temporary staff become permanent.”