Employment Trends – March 2025

Snapshot of the latest employment trends for March 2025:  

• The unemployment rate is at 4.0% compared to 3.8% in March 2024  
• National job ads have slowed 12.8% on SEEK, and 5.2% on Indeed year-on-year  
• Job ad volumes on SEEK have decreased 3% month-on-month nationally  
• Applications per job ad month-on-month increased on SEEK by 2%  

Job Advertisement Trends  

According to SEEK’s Employment Report for March, job advertisements experienced a modest decline of 3% month-on-month. When viewed year-on-year, ad volumes were down 12%, impacted by the fall in Easter 2024, and then later in the year. (seek.com.au)  

Industry Insights  

Most industries witnessed a reduction in job ads during March. Notable declines include:  

• Science & Technology: -10.9%  
• Faming, Animals and Conservation: -9.8%  
• Engineering: -9.3%  

Conversely, some sectors experienced growth:  

• Insurance & Superannuation: +3.8%  
• Call Centre & Customer Service: +3.2%  

(seek.com.au)  

 The greatest contributor to significant decline in job ads was Healthcare & Medical, recording a 4.2% drop. Other industries to record a large decline were Administration and Office Support (-6.5%), Engineering (-9.3%) and Real Estate & Property (-7.6%). Insurance & Superannuation, Call Centre & Customer Service, and Mining, Resources & Energy were the industries that recorded the biggest increase at 3.8%, 3.2% and 0.8% respectively.   

“Labour market demand continues to cool, with March marking the second consecutive month of falling ad volume. However, the quarterly view suggests demand is a little more robust with only a small decline and an increasing number of industries experiencing growth.” Blair Chapman, Senior Economist at SEEK said. “Likely as a consequence of Tropical cyclone Alfred, Queensland experienced a sharp 6.9% drop in job ad volume month-on-month, the state’s most significant monthly fall since April 2020, with locations in south-east Queensland suffering the largest declines. Alfred also likely led to notable month-on-month declines in coastal regions of northern NSW.”  

Horner CEO Perspective 

Horner’s Chief Executive Officer, Kylie Heffernan, commented, “The latest figures from March continue to reflect a cooling in the employment market, but there are green shoots of optimism. While job ad volumes remain lower than this time last year, we’ve seen a steady uptick in applications, and clients are showing renewed confidence as they look ahead to the new financial year. Industries like Insurance and Customer Service are helping to stabilise the market, while others recalibrate after peak demand periods. At Horner, we’ve observed a noticeable lift in job orders since mid-April—suggesting that employers are beginning to re-engage and plan for growth.”  

 Are you looking for the right talent or your next career move?  

If you are finding it challenging to find top talent, contact your local Horner branch, submit a vacancy or email horner@horner.com.au to see how we can assist you with your temporary staffing, permanent recruitment or executive search needs. 
 
Source: SEEK, Indeed, ABS.  

About the SEEK Employment Report  

The SEEK Employment Report is Australia’s leading employment index and provides a comprehensive overview of the Australian Employment Marketplace. The report includes the SEEK Employment Index (SEI) which measures only new job ads posted within the reported month to provide a clean measure of demand for labour across all classifications.  

www.seek.com.au  

 About Indeed Hiring Lab  

Indeed Hiring Lab creates innovative data insights on the global labour market that inspire new conversations about the state of work. As the economic research arm of Indeed, the world’s number one job site, Hiring Lab is driven by a team of leading economists who provide real-time thought leadership on global labour market conditions, including hiring trends, salary information, popular skills, and employer benefits.  

www.hiringlab.org/au/