Labour Market Overview May 2015

The 2015 Australian Jobs publication presents an overview of the labour market to meet the need for industry, occupation and location information for a range of users. The report is based largely on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures but also uses data from other Government and related agencies. More detailed information is available and the report includes links to help you explore the labour market further.

The Australian labour market is currently subdued, with unemployment at a relatively high level. Mature age and young workers face particular difficulty in the labour market. There is, though, lots of support to help people find real jobs, and the outlook is bright, with more than 1.1 million new jobs expected to be created over the next five years.

To deliver better outcomes for job seekers and employers, the Government is committed to a new approach to employment services. The Government is investing $5 billion over three years from 1 July 2015 in new employment services called jobactive. More information is at www.employment.gov.au/jobactive.  

If you are planning for training or work it’s helpful to understand where the jobs are and what employers look for when recruiting. The labour market is, though, complex and many factors influence job prospects.  A positive attitude, a willingness to learn and participating in entry-level jobs or volunteer positions to gain experience and work skills can all help.

The forward-looking information in this report provides some guidance about which industries and occupations will have the largest numbers of new jobs in the next five years. Sometimes, though, even in occupations that are in high demand, applicants can face significant competition for vacancies. Conversely, employers sometimes have difficulty recruiting for occupations which have low growth or for which employment is falling.  

For the full report, visit http://docs.employment.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/australian_jobs_2015.pdf.