The number of filled jobs in Australia increased by 1.6% to reach 16 million in the September quarter of 2024, recording growth of 257,100 filled jobs during the quarter according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
David Taylor, ABS head of labour statistics, attributed this increase to sustained labour market recovery since pandemic-related measures eased. “Filled jobs rose by 257,100 in the September quarter 2024, continuing the growth we’ve seen since COVID-19 Delta variant measures eased in December quarter 2021.
"Since then, the number of filled jobs in the Australian labour market has grown by 1.5 million jobs or 10.7%,” Taylor said.
The growth in filled jobs aligns with an 11% increase in hours worked since December 2021.
However, recent data indicates a softening trend in hours worked, with a quarterly increase of just 0.8% in September 2024, bringing total hours worked to 5.9 billion. “Since June quarter 2023, quarterly hours worked has softened and we’re starting to see a more consistent relationship with other labour market measures like filled jobs and employment,” Taylor noted.
In terms of industry performance, Health Care and Social Assistance led the growth, adding 109,700 jobs in the quarter, followed by Professional, Scientific and Technical Services with an increase of 30,600 jobs.
Conversely, Administrative and Support Services recorded the largest decline, losing 26,100 jobs.
Taylor highlighted the critical role of the healthcare sector in driving employment: “Health care and social assistance continued to be a key driver of labour market strength, with 4.3% growth in filled jobs this quarter and 11.4% annually.
"This takes the total number of filled jobs in the industry to 2.6 million,” he said.
The quarter also saw a rise in secondary jobs, increasing by 4.1% to 1.1 million, pushing the multiple job-holding rate to 6.6%.
Meanwhile, job vacancies fell by 17.8% year-on-year but remained 48.3% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Labour income grew in tandem with employment, with total labour income rising by 1.6% to $356.5 billion. This includes a 1.5% increase in employee compensation and a 2.3% rise in income from self-employment.
