Job Vacancy Survey

CONTACT

Quarterly Surveys Group
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Perth
Telephone (08) 9360 5357

DESCRIPTION

Quarterly estimates of job vacancies are based on information obtained from a sample survey of employers. Data are classified by industry (including education) thus, providing a measure of demand for people in the education industry.

Scope

Job vacancies for wage and salary earners are represented in the Job Vacancies Survey, except those:

• in the Australian permanent defence forces;
• in businesses primarily engaged in agriculture, forestry and fishing;
• in private households employing staff;
• in overseas embassies, consulates, etc.; or
• located outside Australia.

Reference Period

The reference date for the survey is the third Friday of February, May, August and November.

Frequency of Collection

Quarterly

Method of collection

The sample for the Job Vacancies Survey, like most Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) business surveys, is selected from the ABS Business Register which is primarily based on registrations to the Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) Pay As You Go Withholding (PAYGW) scheme (and, prior to 1 June 2000, the Group Employer scheme). The population is updated quarterly to take account of:

• new businesses;
• businesses which have ceased employing;
• changes in employment levels;
• changes in industry; and
• other general business changes.
  

A sample of approximately 4,800 employers is selected from the Business Register to ensure adequate state and industry representation. The sample is updated each quarter to reflect changes in the Business Register. These changes arise from the emergence of new businesses, takeovers and mergers, changes to industry classification, changes in the number of employees, and businesses which have ceased operations. Such updating of the register can contribute to changes in the estimates of job vacancies.

DISSEMINATION

Release schedule

The publication is released six to eight weeks after the survey reference date.

Publication

Job Vacancies, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6354.0)

Geography

Data are available for Australia, and each state and territory.

Data Service

Customised tables are available on request, including a set of state/territory tables.

Other information

Descriptions of the underlying concepts of Australia's job vacancies statistics, and the sources and methods used in compiling these estimates, are presented in Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods (ABS cat. no. 6102.0.55.001).

DATA ITEMS

General
State
Sector (private and public)
Industry
education

Job vacancies
Number of job vacancies

Historical Data

Comparable estimates of job vacancies are available from 1983 when the Job Vacancies and Overtime series was introduced. It replaced the previous Job Vacancy and Overtime series based on information from a sample of employers registered to pay payroll tax and from government organisations. The overtime component of the Job Vacancies and Overtime was dropped from August 1999. The overtime data are now collected as part of the Employee Earnings and Hours Survey and published in Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6306.0). From November 2003, the Job Vacancies Survey no longer collects information on the number of employees. A job vacancy rate series, based on estimates of the number of employees from the Labour Force Survey, is available on request.

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