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Australian Job Ads Fall 0.8% in May, Applications Per Ad Up 3.6%, Says Seek

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Job ads in Australia in May fell 0.8% month on month and 4.5% year on year, while applications per job ad rose 3.6% month on month and are now 5.5% higher year on year, according to a Thursday report by Seek.

The report said references to artificial intelligence-related skills in job ads continue to grow, up 2.9% month on month and about 69% year on year, with the decline in overall job ad volumes weighted toward occupations with high automation exposure, which comprise less than 10% of job ads on Seek.

Tasmania was the only state to record job ad growth in May, up 0.8%, while Western Australia was the only state to record annual growth at 0.4%, with all other states and territories recording a decline.

Applications per job ad rose across the board, with the largest increases in Victoria and Queensland, both up 6.8% quarter on quarter, the report added.

Ad volumes rose in engineering and science and technology, both up 2% month on month, and hospitality and tourism and legal, both up 0.1%. Engineering ads were up 16% year on year and science and technology up 7%, alongside growth in construction, mining, resources and energy, and manufacturing, transport and logistics.

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