Job vacancy statistics can be used to assess changes in the demand for labour. The ABS conducts the quarterly Job Vacancies Survey. In this survey, a job vacancy is defined as a job available for immediate filling on the survey reference date and for which recruitment action has been taken by the employer.
Graph 6.68 presents quarterly trend estimates of job vacancies for the period May 1984 to May 2004. It shows the number of job vacancies rose from a low of 30,300 in August 1991, reflecting the labour market downturn in the early-1990s, to a peak of 114,900 in May 2000. Job vacancies then fell until November 2001, before rising to a record high of 123,600 in May 2004.
Table 6.69 shows the number of job vacancies in May 2004 was highest in the property and business services industry (27,700) followed by the retail trade (21,800) and manufacturing (16,100) industries.
6.69 JOB VACANCIES, By industry(a) - May
|
 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| '000 | '000 | '000 | '000 | '000 | '000 |
|
| Mining | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.0 |
| Manufacturing | 13.7 | *14.0 | 9.6 | 11.6 | 10.9 | 16.1 |
| Electricity, gas and water supply | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Construction | **5.3 | *5.2 | *4.0 | *9.2 | *5.5 | *7.1 |
| Wholesale trade | *7.6 | 6.1 | *6.9 | 4.4 | *4.1 | 7.3 |
| Retail trade | *8.7 | 8.1 | 7.6 | 10.9 | 18.1 | 21.8 |
| Accommodation, cafes and restaurants | *8.6 | *8.2 | *5.9 | *6.3 | 5.0 | *3.8 |
| Transport and storage | **2.6 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 2.4 | *1.6 | *3.0 |
| Communication services | 1.4 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Finance and insurance | 3.2 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.7 |
| Property and business services | *18.5 | 21.8 | 16.5 | 14.2 | *18.8 | 27.7 |
| Government administration and defence | 4.8 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 5.8 | 4.9 | 4.9 |
| Education | 3.3 | 7.4 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Health and community services | 7.8 | 9.9 | 11.2 | 11.1 | 12.0 | 12.1 |
| Cultural and recreational services | *3.4 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 3.6 | *2.0 |
| Personal and other services | **3.0 | *7.2 | *3.8 | *3.5 | *3.1 | *4.6 |
| All industries | 93.5 | 107.6 | 87.4 | 90.3 | 99.5 | 122.7 |
|
(a) Original estimates, classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification.
Source: Job Vacancies, Australia, May 2004 (6354.0). |
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