Archived News 2006

6 December 2006

School leavers helped by tightening labour market

School leavers looking for employment are welcomed into the labour market as figures from November indicate a modest tightening of the market, according to the SEEK Employment Index (EI) data released today.

Figures for November indicate that the national trend of a balance between supply and demand experienced over the past year is likely to continue, with the SEEK EI increasing by 0.6 of a point month on month indicating a tightening of the labour market. Viewed comparatively against last year’s figures the labour market is nearing but not quite as tight as the same time last year with the EI down 1.1 points year on year.

The SEEK Employment Index (EI), developed in conjunction with Victoria University, is an aggregate indicator that measures labour market demand compared to labour supply, creating a ratio that indicates a softening or tightening of the labour market.

Nationally, new job ads posted online during November were up 5.9% month on month and increased 28.3% year on year. The ACT and South Australia were the only states to experience a slowing in demand with decreases of 1.6% and 0.4% respectively, compared to solid growth in Western Australia and Queensland where new job ads posted increased by 4.7% and 5.9% respectively. This solid upward pattern of growth has been maintained since August this year and this month’s figures indicate that it is likely to continue.

On the other hand jobs applications for November are up by 1.8% month on month, fuelled by the strong trend in the rate of growth in South Australia (7.3%), Western Australia (4.8%) and Queensland (1.7%). Nationally applications were up 16.3% year on year, contributing to the tightening of the market and the continuing balance of supply and demand of the labour.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

“The SEEK EI figures for November indicate that the Australian labour market is tightening slightly, although at a moderate pace. For job seekers this means that there are more positions available and the market for finding a job is in their favour.

The National job market remains reasonably well balanced overall, despite some sectors experiencing labour supply shortages. The increase in demand for labour in New South Wales and Victoria has helped to maintain the balance and it will be interesting to see if this trend continues in the coming months.

Professor Peter Sheehan, Director of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said

“The measure of labour market balance – the ratio of applications to new job ads, using only matched applications and ads – has shown a flat trend over the past two years, but the seasonally adjusted series fell by 0.6% in November, indicating some limited tightening in the month.

These SEEK indicators for November 2006 remain consistent with the Reserve Bank’s view of an economy growing steadily in the mature phase of expansion in reasonable balance but with limited spare capacity.”

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University’s Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply and labour market demand. Launched in July 2005 and published monthly, the Index and its supporting indicators are based on the actual number of new job ads and new job applications posted through the SEEK website.

seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately 60% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 120,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and over 2 million jobseekers lodge over 1 million job applications.

About Seasonal Adjustment
Following the practice recently adopted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics of utilising concurrent seasonal adjustment for its Job Vacancies and Labour Force publications, from May 2006 concurrent seasonal adjustment is being applied also for the SEEK indicators.

back to index

4 November 2006

Softening Employment Index indicates more competition for jobs

October’s index has decreased by 0.4 points month on month to 99 points, which indicates a moderate softening of Australia’s national labour market, even though demand has remained strong.

There is however variation between States in the results. The Employment Index has dropped in the States of South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT (by 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.8% respectively) suggesting those States are still experiencing a tightening labour market. Applications per ad in those States did not keep up with labour demand during October.

The SEEK Employment Index (EI), developed in conjunction with Victoria University, is an aggregate indicator that measures labour market demand compared to labour supply, creating a ratio that indicates a softening or tightening of the market.

The number of new job ads posted in the ACT has increased by 3.5% in the month of October, the largest increase across Australia. Coupled with a 3.8% decrease in the number of applications per job, the ACT jobs market is visibly tightening and becoming a market driven by employee demand. 

The 2006 SEEK Satisfaction and Motivation Survey results released last week, also report that employees in the ACT feel most secure of all Australians in their jobs, and rank as the most confident in finding a new job quickly and easily, supporting the Employment Index findings that the ACT market is tightening.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said:

“Our National figures show an overall softening of Australia’s employment market which demonstrates that there remains a disparity between the employment markets of the States of South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT, compared to the rest of Australia.”

However despite the softening in the overall index, Australian labour demand continues to grow, according to the SEEK Employment Index, with new job ads posted climbing by 1.6% over the past month, however applications fell by 0.1% month on month.

Commenting on labour market demand, Professor Peter Sheehan, Director of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said:

For further information or to arrange and interview contact:

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University’s Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply and labour market demand.  Launched in July 2005 and published monthly, the Index and its supporting indicators are based on the actual number of new job ads and new job applications posted through the SEEK website. 

Seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately 60% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia.  In any given month, over 120,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and approximately 2.0 million jobseekers lodge over 1 million job applications.

About Seasonal Adjustment
Following the practice recently adopted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics of utilising concurrent seasonal adjustment for its Job Vacancies and Labour Force publications, from May 2006 concurrent seasonal adjustment is being applied also for the SEEK indicators.

About the 2006 SEEK Satisfaction and Motivation Survey

The findings from the 2006 SEEK Intelligence survey of Employee Satisfaction and Motivation in Australia, are based on a sample of 8729 completed responses, collected by online survey. The sample represents both ‘active’ jobseekers who are actively looking for new employment, as well as ‘passive’ jobseekers, who are fully employed and may be browsing for new opportunities.

back to index

20 September 2006

Australia’s best recruitment companies honoured in 2006 SEEK Annual Recruitment Awards (SARA’s)

Australia’s favourite recruiters were honoured last night at the SEEK Annual Recruitment Awards (SARAs), after three months of intense competition.

The national awards were presented at a gala event in Sydney last night and the winners included:

Davidson Recruitment - Generalist Recruiter: large category
Majer Recruitment - Generalist Recruiter: small to medium category
BSI People - Executive Recruiter
MACRO Recruitment - IT Recruiter

For the second year running AAAI Group (Engineering) won Specialist small to medium Recruiter whilst Aquent won the award for large recruiter in the Specialist category.

SEEK’s ‘SARA Legends’ were also announced, which recognise recruiters for achieving consistent excellence in their respective categories. The inductees included:
Kelly Services
Staff it
Greythorn
Xpand Group
All of whom have won in their respective categories for three consecutive years.

SEEK researched international industry award programs before developing the SARAs. Now in its fourth year, the SARAs have been embraced by the Australia’s recruitment industry with many organisations encouraging their candidates to vote for them on their websites, by email or in print materials during the three month voting period.

Joe Powell, SEEK Sales Director said “The SARAs highlight how competitive the recruitment industry is and the value jobseekers place on personal service. This year’s voters have voiced their opinions on what makes a good recruiter and this includes a prompt response, valuable advice and excellent post placement service.”

“We’ve had a fantastic response to the SARAs with the number of votes increasing year on year. The awards continue to set a bench mark for recruitment companies and we are encouraged by the support from the industry to providing better services for jobseekers.”

The 2006 runners up were:

IPA Australia – Runner Up, Generalist Recruiter – Large
Jocellin Jansson – Runner Up, Generalist Recruiter – Small to Medium
Hudson, Runner Up, Executive Recruiter
Aristotle, Runner Up, IT Recruiter
Trace Personnel, Runner Up, Specialist Recruiter

For further information or to arrange and interview contact:

Rosemary Biggs
Ph: 02 8252 7004
Email: rbiggs@reputation.net.au

back to index

6 September 2006

Australia’s Labour Market Strengthens and Tightens

SEEK Employment Index data released today suggests that the Australian labour market is strengthening and tightening after a significant downturn in July. The total number of new positions advertised across Australia rose by 3.2% in August (seasonally adjusted), which reverses the 1.1% decline recorded in July.

Overall, the national picture is a healthy one. The reversal of last month's decline in the number of ads posted was particularly evident in Queensland (a rise of 10.5%) and New South Wales (a rise of 5.8%). The boom in Australia's resource-rich states continues to grow, with Queensland and Western Australia combined showing a 44% increase in the number of job ads posted over the last 12 months, highlighting the favourable economic conditions both are currently experiencing.

Nationally, the number of job applications for positions listed on SEEK increased by only 0.2% in August 2006, which indicates a tightening of the current labour market. Applications are particularly subdued in Western Australia. In the year to 2006, the number of applications has increased by only 18.6% compared to a 53.5% increase in the number of new jobs advertised in the same period.

The SEEK Employment Index (EI), developed in conjunction with Victoria University is an aggregate indicator that measures labour market supply compared to labour market demand, creating a ratio that indicates a softening or tightening of the market. August's index has increased by 1.7 points, which indicates a strengthening and tightening of Australia's national labour market.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Joint CEO Paul Bassat said: "The reality is that, Western Australia and Queensland aside, Australian jobseekers are gradually experiencing increased competition for the job vacancies.

"The Western Australian labour market is very strong, which is indicated by the 17.2% rise recorded by SEEK's Employment Index in the year to August 2006. Business investment in the resource-rich states of Western Australia and Queensland has almost doubled in real terms in the last two financial years. Nearly 60% of all business investment nationally has occurred in these two states alone, and this is reflected in the strength of the job market is these states."

Professor Peter Sheehan, Director of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said: "This month's index suggests that the Australian labour market strengthened further in August after a subdued performance in July."

"The Australian economy remains subject to many conflicting forces, ranging from tax cuts, interest rate increases, higher fuel prices and the resource boom. These forces are affecting different parts of the country in different ways, which is reflected in this month's figures."

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply and labour market demand. Launched in July 2005 and published monthly, the Index and its supporting indicators are based on the actual number of new job ads and new job applications posted through the SEEK website.

By comparing the number of new job ads against the number of new job applications, the SEEK Employment Index reveals whether the Australian labour market is showing signs of softening or tightening. As the number of new job ads outweigh the total applications posted, the Index falls, indicating a softening labour market. Comparatively, as the number of applications submitted outweigh the positions advertised the Index rises, suggesting a tightening labour market.

seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately 60% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 120,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and approximately 2.0 million jobseekers lodge over 1 million job applications.

About Seasonal Adjustment
Following the practice recently adopted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics of utilising concurrent seasonal adjustment for its Job Vacancies and Labour Force publications, from May 2006 concurrent seasonal adjustment is being applied also for the SEEK indicators.

back to index

9 August 2006

New data shows first indication of slowing labour market

The SEEK Employment Index (SEI) for July, 2006 shows the first real evidence for eighteen months of a slowing in the strong labour markets in the eastern states of Australia, according to data released today.

Nationally, new job ads posted with SEEK (seasonally adjusted) fell by 1.1% for the month, but when viewed in the context of Western Australia's booming economy falls in several states were higher.  The number of the new jobs advertised in Western Australia, rose a further 9.3% in July, and when this was removed from the national figures for the month, the national decline was 2.3%,

Western Australia aside, the only other state to record a rise in new job ads was Victoria (1.2%).  There were sharp falls in Queensland and Tasmania (7.4%) and New South Wales (5.2%).  Nonetheless, the number of new positions advertised last month remains 24.8% higher than 12 months ago.

Job market supply in Australia continues to remain strong.  This is indicated by the number of applications posted for new positions, rising by 1.6% in July 2006 and 20.5% over the past year, and increasing in all states.

As a result, the SEEK Employment Index (the ratio of new ads to applications for those ads, and hence an indicator of demand/supply balance) fell by 4.5% in July 2006, and was 7.6% below the figure for July 2005.  Again the exception among the States was Western Australia, where the index rose 1.7% for the month, 24% higher than a year ago.

Commenting on the results, SEEK Joint CEO Paul Bassat said:  "The job market activity varies considerably between States, particularly when you compare Western Australia and New South Wales.  Last month, new ads posted fell by 5.2% in New South Wales while for Western Australia the July, 2006 increase was 9.3%.  Applications increased in both states, so that the ratio of ads to applications rose by 1.7% in Western Australia but fell by 8.2% in New South Wales.

This means that while in Western Australia the battle for talent is strong, employers in other states are not facing as much difficulty filling vacant positions with qualified staff,” he said.

Professor Sheehan, Director of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said: “The Australian economy remains subject to many conflicting forces, ranging from tax cuts and interest rate increases on the policy side to external influences such as the resources boom and higher fuel prices.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply and labour market demand.  Launched in July 2005 and published monthly, the Index and its supporting indicators are based on the actual number of new job ads and new job applications posted through the SEEK website. 

seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately 60% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia.  In any given month, over 120,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and approximately 2.0 million jobseekers lodge over 1 million job applications.

About Seasonal Adjustment
Following the practice recently adopted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics of utilising concurrent seasonal adjustment for its Job Vacancies and Labour Force publications, from May 2006 concurrent seasonal adjustment is being applied also for the SEEK indicators.

back to index

15 May 2006

Celebrating National Volunteer Week: A Profile of Australia’s Volunteers

The typical Australian volunteer is now a young woman, who is employed full time and motivated by a desire to help others and have fun, according to a survey by seek.com.au.

In celebration of National Volunteer Week, which runs from 15 to 21 May, SEEK surveyed over 1000 Australians about their views on volunteering and experiences.

SEEK Marketing Director, Tony Balfour, said, “Volunteering and helping the under dog has long been part of the Australian psyche, but in order for people to do their bit they need to know where their help is required.

“We set up www.seek.com.au/volunteer in June 2000 to help not-for-profit organisations and volunteers get together.  The impact has been to introduce the rewards of volunteering to a whole new generation of Australians.

“Despite the demands of juggling work and family, our survey found that women are far more likely to volunteer their time than men.  72% of volunteers are women, and they tend to be young.  30% are aged 18-24 years, 29% are 25-34 years and 27% are 35-49 years.

“The most common reason* for volunteering is to help others (83%), followed by to have fun (45%), to meet new people (43%) and to learn new skills (38%).  Only 4% of those surveyed reported that their volunteer efforts were part of a program run by their employer.

“With so many volunteering opportunities available, we were also interested in how people choose where they give their time.  59% of those surveyed reported being driven by personal interest or passion.  14% selected an organisation that was close to their home or work, and 14% said they volunteered because they knew someone affected by the disease or issue the organisation assisted.

“Of specific interest to not-for-profit organisations, less than one in eight (13%) chose to volunteer because they were referred by a friend. 

“As we head into national volunteer week, we recommend that not-for-profit organisations look close to home for new volunteers and investigate ways of increasing their referral rates.  They should also advertise volunteering opportunities on an emotional level to tap into people's personal interests and passions,” Mr Balfour said.

People looking for volunteering opportunities should head to SEEK Volunteer   or GoVolunteer , Volunteering Australia's website.  Non-profit organisations can also post a volunteer ad free of charge at either of these websites.

*Survey respondents could nominate more than one motivation for volunteering

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

back to index

12 April 2006

Strong Australian Labour Market Continues

The Australian labour market continued to grow in strength in March, with an increase in both job seeking activity and the number of new positions being advertised, according to SEEK Employment Index data released today.

When combined with an unemployment rate that fell to five per cent (seasonally adjusted) in March to match the record lows of mid-2005 (Source: ABS data), the findings suggest that skilled job seekers will continue to benefit from a tightening market this year.

Developed in consultation with Victoria University’s Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply with labour market demand.

In March, the number of new job ads posted rose by 2.4% (seasonally adjusted), with increases recorded in all states and territories, except the ACT. Victoria led the pack with a 5.2% increase, suggesting that the Commonwealth Games impacted recruitment activity.

Job seeking activity also increased in March, with an increase of 3.6% in the number of applications posted, and a record 2.09 million unique visitors to www.seek.com.au for the month (Source: Nielsen/Net Ratings). The number of job applications received in March stand 28.5% higher than at the same time last year.

Looking at job market demand and supply in tandem, the SEEK Employment Index which measures the ratio of new job ads to applications for those jobs, fell 3.7% from 109.5 in February to 105.4 in March. This means that jobseekers faced fewer opportunities and increased competition for positions in March. However, the Index remains steady with same time last year when it was 105.5.

SEEK Joint CEO, Paul Bassat, said that there was plenty of cause for ongoing optimism regarding the state of the labour market in Australia.

“Unemployment is low and the number of jobs on offer continues to grow, but the good news is that labour supply is also strong. Employers experienced a jump in applications received in March, particularly in Victoria and Queensland where job applications increased by 3.7% and 4% respectively.

“Looking at where the hot spots are, job growth over the past 12 months has been most pronounced in Western Australia (66%) and Queensland (67.6%). They are followed by South Australia with 46.5% growth in the past 12 months and Victoria at 39.1%.

“Unlike a number of employment indicators, the SEEK Employment Index data is consistent with the recent findings of the ABS in relation to labour market activity in Australia. It is likely that that a high proportion of those applying for jobs are people who are already labour force participants.

“Our mobile workforce is a blessing and a curse for Australian employers. There are people out there who are willing to switch organisations for the right job, but the downside is they will be just as willing to switch again,” Mr Bassat said.

Professor Peter Sheehan, Director of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said: “The stronger trends seen in the demand for labour are consistent with other economic indicators that showed stronger growth in retail sales, continuing strong business investment and strong credit growth.

“While the overall balance between supply and demand for labour remains sound, except for some particular labour shortages, the labour market is likely to tighten further during 2006.

“This could lead to pressure on interest rates if signs of higher inflation emerge, however, with global forces continuing to hold back inflation around the world, low inflation may continue in Australia for some time to come”, he said.

About the SEEK Employment Index

Developed in consultation with Victoria University’s Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply and labour market demand. Launched in July 2005 and published monthly, the Index and its supporting indicators are based on the actual number of new job ads and new job applications posted through the SEEK website.

seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately 60% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 120,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and approximately 2.0 million jobseekers lodge over 1 million job applications.

back to index

4 April 2006

Over 20% of the Labour Force Seeking Greener Pastures in March A Record 2 million Australians search SEEK in one month

Unemployment may be at near-record lows of 5.2%, but the equivalent of more than 20% of the labour force*, or 2,086,562 unique browsers visited www.seek.com.au in March, according to the latest Nielsen NetRatings.**

Such high traffic numbers suggest that most of the people browsing for jobs are already employed, so SEEK conducted an online survey to investigate their motivations.

46% of survey respondents said they were “unhappy in my current role”, followed by 27% who are “just browsing for new opportunities” and 14% who are looking “to find a job closer to home”.  Just 8% of respondents said they were seeking “a more senior position”.

Joint CEO Andrew Bassat said the results were surprising, even for SEEK.

“We have never had 2 million unique visitors to SEEK in a single month before and intuitively this doesn't make much sense since unemployment is at a 30 year low.  What's obvious is that most Australian jobseekers already have a job, however they'd rather be on their way somewhere else this morning. 

“Our survey suggests that the priority for most Australian workers is not to climb the corporate ladder, but a job that makes them happy and isn't too far from home. 

“Traffic congestion and public transport are obviously taking their toll.  16% of people said the primary reason they are looking for a new job is because they want one closer to home.  This is likely to be linked to the desire among many Australians to achieve a work life balance.

“When you look only at the people who visited SEEK last month, a frightening 47% of them are unhappy in their current role.  We are talking about 1 million unhappy workers here.  We can't confidently extrapolate this to the entire Australian workforce, but it does suggest that employers have a job ahead of them this year to retain their talent.

“In a strong employment market the power balance shifts to employees.  The one job for life era has been long gone, but now it looks like even two to five years is too long to stay in a job for many people.

“Today's workforce is very mobile and the Internet and job sites in particular, have mobilized information so that pretty much anyone can go searching for a new job.  People are more likely to move if they are sick of their job or if a better offer comes along, and they are constantly monitoring their employment options,” said Mr Bassat.

SEEK Survey Results

Q: Which option best describes the reason you search on SEEK?

n = 1000

* Based on February 2006 ABS data which numbered employed persons as 10,041 200.
** Nielsen NetRatings Market Intelligence March 2006

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

back to index

14 March 2006

SEEK Employment Index - No Signs of a Slowing Australian Job Market

The Australian labour market is experiencing continued buoyancy, characterised by high demand for candidates, according to SEEK Employment Index data released today.

SEEK's findings support the latest ABS Labour Force data which showed that 25,900 new jobs were created in February. They do, however, contrast with data released earlier this month which paint a subdued picture of the employment market, based on newspaper job advertisements being at their lowest level since April 2003 ( Source: ANZ Job Advertisement Series, 6 March 2006 ).

Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply with labour market demand.

Data for February showed continuing strength in the number of new jobs posted, with an increase for the month of 0.6% in seasonally adjusted terms. Increases in new jobs were experienced in Western Australia (5.9%), South Australia (5.4%), Queensland (3.0%) and Victoria (1.2%). New South Wales bucked the trend with a 1.5% fall in the number of jobs advertised between January and February.

Overall, the number of jobs posted in February 2006 was 39.3% higher than in February 2005 and 20.1% higher than in October 2005, after adjustment for seasonal factors.

In contrast, the number of job applications posted in February fell 8.6% from January's very high levels, but remained 28.9% higher than at the same time last year. This high level of job searching activity by Australian jobseekers also resulted in a record number of 1.97 million people visiting the SEEK website during the month (Source: Nielsen Net Ratings).

Reflecting labour demand and supply for the month, the SEEK Employment Indicator – the ratio of new job ads to applications for those jobs – rose by 7.1% in February 2006, fully offsetting the fall in January 2006. This means it was relatively more difficult for employers to fill positions than it was in the previous month.

SEEK Joint CEO, Paul Bassat, said recent pessimism among some economic commentators about the health of the labour market was not justified by SEEK's data.

“Over the past decade, there has been a significant and continuing shift among employers and recruiters towards advertising on the Internet, and the majority of Australian jobseekers now prefer looking for jobs online.

“Because of these changes in behaviour and the ability for online job boards to track application volumes, for the first time, we can measure supply and demand in tandem. This is providing the whole story and a clearer picture of labour market activity, involving both employers and jobseekers.

“Economic indicators reliant on using employment advertising in newspapers as a barometer of the labour market are no longer providing an accurate picture. It's the equivalent of referring to VHS tape sales as the indicator of home entertainment film sales, when we all know people now clearly prefer DVDs.”

Paul Bassat added that hot spots in the market are also being identified through the data: “Looking across the market, new job ads posted in the services industries remain strong, especially in the business and property sectors. And ads for engineering and construction jobs related to infrastructure projects have grown particularly rapidly over the past 12 months”, he said.

Professor Peter Sheehan, Director of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said: “There is no sign in these data of a slowing Australian job market, as is suggested by some other indicators.

“Indeed, the 20% rise in seasonally adjusted jobs ads since October 2005 suggests that demand for labour remains strong in many sectors. If anything, we expect a further tightening of the labour market during 2006”, he said.

For further information:

About the SEEK Employment Index

Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply and labour market demand. Launched in July 2005 and published monthly, the Index and its supporting indicators are based on the actual number of new job ads and new job applications posted through the SEEK website.

seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately 60% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 120,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and approximately 1.9 million jobseekers lodge over 1 million job applications.

back to index

27 February 2006

SEEK Learning and OTEN Form Exclusive Training Alliance

Network (OTEN) today announced that they have formed an alliance, offering TAFE qualifications in a faster and more flexible format exclusively through www.seeklearning.com.au.

As the specialist distance education and open learning provider for TAFE NSW, OTEN delivers nationally recognised qualifications with a practical focus in areas such as Accounting, Business, Human Resources and Children's Services. They also offer skills modules designed to quickly upskill students in specific topics, for example, OH&S in the workplace, and Tax for Small Business.

Courses are delivered using a range of media including printed learning materials, videos, CD ROMS and DVDs. Students also receive online support and access to counsellors and teachers via phone, email and through the OTEN Learning Support website.

SEEK Joint CEO, Mr Andrew Bassat, said: “Vocational education and training is a career investment, and this alliance will make it easier for Australians to find the courses they need to advance their careers.

Not everyone can afford the luxury of full-time study, and many people find that as their career unfolds they need to upgrade and enhance their skills.

All of the courses on offer have been selected for career relevance, tailored for streamlined study and quality assured by SEEK Learning. They will allow people, regardless of where they live, to gain nationally recognised qualifications, and to study at times that suit their lifestyles.

This alliance with OTEN is a strong fit with SEEK Learning's aim to provide vocationally relevant, affordable and accredited training for jobseekers and we believe it meets a need in the training market”, he said.

Phil Cox, Director of TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute - OTEN, said that the partnership with SEEK Learning will introduce vocational education and training to a larger segment of the Australian market.

“We are excited about the potential to increase our reach through this alliance with SEEK Learning. The flexibility of our courses means that they are ideal for full-time workers, stay at home parents, small business owners, and people who live outside Australia's major cities,” said Mr Cox.

For further information:

back to index

13 February 2006

Changes to SEEK’s Executive Team

SEEK Limited, the leader in the online employment classifieds and training in Australia and New Zealand, today announced that the structure of its executive team will change.

SEEK was formed in November 1997 by Paul Bassat, Andrew Bassat and Matthew Rockman, who could see that there was a more efficient way of bringing job seekers and employers together. They launched seek.com.au in March 1998 and have since built the business to the point that www.seek.com.au attracted a record 1,973,083 unique visitors in January according to independent auditor Nielsen NetRatings.

Following eight years' successfully building the business, Matthew Rockman has announced his intention to resign as an Executive Director to pursue his next professional challenge. The expected timeframe for Matthew's departure is six months, and a succession plan is being developed to ensure that an appropriate transition takes place. Matthew has stated that he wishes to spend more time with his young family, and that he intends to remain a long term shareholder.

The other executive change, which is effective immediately, is Andrew Bassat's appointment as Joint CEO, alongside Paul Bassat.

Announcing the changes SEEK Chairman James Packer said: "The Board understands Matthew's position and supports Andrew's appointment as Joint CEO of SEEK.

We would like to recognise the critical role that Matthew Rockman has played as a co-founder and executive director of SEEK for the past eight years. Matthew has worked tirelessly to build SEEK into the leading online employment business in Australia and New Zealand.

Matthew's persistence knocking on doors to kick start SEEK's fledging business in its earliest days is part of the company's history. He has also been at the forefront of developing relationships with customers and motivating and leading SEEK's sales team and in celebrating SEEK's every success.

The Board thanks Matthew for his contribution as an Executive Director, and for the long notice period he has given. We wish him the best for the future.

On behalf of the Board I would like to congratulate Andrew Bassat on his appointment as joint Chief Executive Officer.

Andrew is a strategic thinker who has been instrumental in identifying and capitalising on growth opportunities for SEEK's business.

Paul, Andrew and Matthew have always managed SEEK very collaboratively while maintaining distinct but equally important roles. We believe that this appointment more accurately reflects the reality of the business' leadership model.

Both Andrew and Paul will continue to manage their current responsibilities with Andrew responsible for the company's online training business, SEEK Learning, as well as strategy and corporate development across the business. Paul will continue to be responsible for the remainder of SEEK's core employment business.

Both Paul and Andrew retain a long term commitment to the business and look forward to continue working closely together to develop and lead SEEK Ltd", he said.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

back to index

8 February 2006

SEEK Employment Index - Job Seekers Out in Force: Job Applications Soar

Australian employers beware. Job seekers are on the move, posting 46% more job applications in January than at the same time last year according to SEEK Employment Index data released today.

Developed in consultation with Victoria University"s Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply with labour market demand.

The January data indicates that job seekers came out in force in the New Year, with job applications for new positions rising by 7.2% (seasonally adjusted) since December. Queensland experienced the sharpest increase at 13.6%, and nationally, job applications were 46% higher than a year earlier.

The number of new jobs advertised also remained high in January, holding steady with 0.6% rise since December in seasonally adjusted terms. A yearly comparison shows that job ads are 39% higher than they were in January 2005.

The resource rich states of Western Australia (5.9%) and Queensland (3.34%) led the monthly growth in new job ads, however even in Victoria and New South Wales job ads remain about 30% higher than they were a year ago.

SEEK CEO, Paul Bassat, said that job seekers are taking advantage of the buoyant market, coming out hard and early in their search for a new position.

"The number of applications job seekers posted for new positions was strongest in the first three weeks of January, when people were either dreading their return to work or they had just got back to their desks after a break.

"Conditions for job seekers are the best they"ve been in 30 years, and there are plenty of opportunities available for skilled and experienced people. The soaring job application numbers suggest that many Australian employees are not fearful of changing organisations and taking the next step in their careers.

Professor Peter Sheehan, Director of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said that with supply and demand both strong, the economy seems poised for continued growth in output and employment during 2006.

"Job applications come from two sectors of the market, people who are looking to change jobs and those who are not employed and wish to enter the labour market.

"Given Australia"s steady and low unemployment rate we anticipate that people who are already working are contributing to the jump in job applications in January. If this results in increased staff churn within companies over the coming months this is likely it could to translate into increased inflationary wage pressures”, he said.

About the SEEK Employment Index

Developed in consultation with Victoria University"s Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply and labour market demand.

Launched in July 2005 and published monthly, the Index and its supporting indicators are based on the actual number of new job ads and new job applications posted through the SEEK website.

seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately 60% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 100,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and approximately 1.8 million jobseekers lodge over 1 million job applications.

The SEEK Employment Index complements other well-established employment market indicators, such as the ANZ Job Ad Series and ABS Job Vacancy statistics and will in time provide industry specific data.

back to index

19 January 2006

Online education and recruitment offer grows

MELBOURNE – Distance learning continues to be more accessible to Australians thanks to a new alliance between AUSTRALIA"S leading online education and recruitment businesses.

Following a successful pilot, Open Universities Australia (OUA), a leader in online education, and SEEK, the leading employment website in Australia, have signed a new sales and marketing deal to offer job seekers the opportunity to commence or upgrade their tertiary qualifications in a cost effective and convenient manner.

The alliance provides users with flexible, online access to university degrees from some of Australia"s top universities. There are no education prerequisites, no limits on numbers and in most cases no requirements to attend on-campus or residential seminars.

"We always thought there was good logic in bringing together online recruitment and education, but that it would need careful planning and alignment between a commercial entity and a not-for-profit,” said Open Universities Australia CEO Stuart Hamilton.

"We are still learning, but our 2005 pilot with SEEK demonstrated enough benefit for both brands for us to expand the business relationship.

"The two Australian companies are evolving in market-driven education together, where customer service is a priority.

"In other parts of the world, especially North America, its been happening since the mid-1990s with the likes of University of Phoenix Online and Kaplan University”, he said.

The deal gives SEEK"s education and training arm, seeklearning.com.au, a tertiary component to add to their range of quality career related education offering and gives Open Universities Australia a unique and relevant channel to the job seeking market.

SEEK Learning Strategy Director Jason Lenga said: "The education and training content we offer through seeklearning.com.au is a growing and important part of our business as we focus on building our career value proposition for our customers.

"Open Universities is a key part of the education offer and we hope to grow this business relationship in the years to come. Since launching the OUA offering, we have been overwhelmed with demand and have signed up over 3000 jobseekers for OUA courses in six months.

"Expanding the Open Universities relationship gives us seven quality universities that our job-seekers can access in a convenient fashion, across a whole range of program areas.”

Contacts for further comment:

About OUA
Open Universities already has over 15,000 students studying online and by distance in Australia, who for a range of reasons, cannot go on to campus and use OUA"s flexible delivery methods to do their university study. It is owned by Curtin, Griffith, Macquarie, Monash, RMIT, Swinburne and UniSA.

About SEEK Learning
SEEK Learning, a division of SEEK Limited, is the leading provider of online training in IT across Australia and New Zealand since it acquired Selfcert in July 2004 and Dynamic Web Training in August 2005. SEEK Learning partners with leading global companies and Australian education providers to offer career training and development solutions. Each course offered by SEEK Learning is based on their career relevance, quality and flexibility, and are delivered in formats that are easy to select, purchase and complete.

About SEEK
seek.com.au is Australia"s leading employment website, with a formidable lead over its nearest competitor in terms of both job ad and job seeker numbers. SEEK a ttracts over 1.4 million individual Australian visitors to the site each month, which is equivalent to over 14 per cent of the Australian workforce. SEEK"s site reach is more than 60 per cent of the online job seeker market.

back to index

11 January 2006

Australian labour market tightens, but remains buoyant

The Australian labour market continues to be buoyant and it remains difficult for employers to fill positions according to the SEEK Employment Index data released today.

Developed in consultation with Victoria University"s Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply with labour market demand.

In December, the number of new job ads posted nationally jumped by 8.5% (seasonally adjusted). This follows growth of 11.8% in November, and left new job ads 39% higher than in December 2004.

The number of job applications posted in December did not match growth in new job ads, falling 1.6% (seasonally adjusted), but it remained 31.2% higher than the same time last year.

The strongest jobs growth was in Queensland (12.8%), followed by Western Australia at 8.8%.

SEEK Executive Director, Andrew Bassat, said that due to the candidate short conditions, Australian businesses could not afford to let Christmas deter their hiring activity in December.

"There were only slightly less people applying for jobs in December than there were in November, but with higher than usual new jobs being advertised in December it was considerably more difficult for employers to fill positions.

"Plenty of people find themselves dreading their return to the office after Christmas, so it will be interesting to see if this is reflected by rising job applications over the next few months or if the tightening market will continue.

"The prospects for people who want to enter the labour market or change jobs this year are certainly very good. There"s never been a better time to make that New Year"s resolution career change”, he said.

Professor Peter Sheehan, Director of the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies said: "The ratio of new job ads to applications for those jobs jumped by 9.0% in December, signalling the extent to which the market tightened at the end of the 2005.

"The growth in new job ads evident in NSW and Victoria in November 2005 continued in December, with new ads posted increasing in these States by 2.8% and 2.1% respectively. However, the strongest job growth continues to be fuelled by the resources boom in Queensland and Western Australia where new ads rose by 12.8% and 8.8% respectively and we expect this to continue into 2006”, he said.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

Developed in consultation with Victoria University"s Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index is the first Australian aggregate indicator to directly compare labour market supply and labour market demand.

Launched in July and published monthly, the Index and its supporting indicators are based on the actual number of new job ads and new job applications posted through the SEEK website.

seek.com.au currently hosts about two thirds of all online ads, equating to approximately 60% of all Internet and newspaper job ads in Australia. In any given month, over 100,000 job advertisements are posted on the SEEK website and approximately 1.4 million jobseekers lodge over 1 million job applications.

The SEEK Employment Index complements other well-established employment market indicators, such as the ANZ Job Ad Series and ABS Job Vacancy statistics and will in time provide industry specific data.

back to index