Unemployment in the central west fell to a low of 2.2 percent in December, while job advertisements in the region remained at their highest level in years, the latest job figures reveal.
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The National Skills Commission Internet Vacancy Index, seasonally adjusted, shows job ads sitting at close to double pre-pandemic levels in December.
Between 2016 and 2019, job ads remained relatively steady in the region, but have ballooned since the pandemic, growing by about 1000 jobs since June 2020 to the latest figure of 2090 ads.
The latest statistics back anecdotal evidence of labour shortages across many industries, including in childcare, retail, hospitality and health care.
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According to the Internet Vacancy Demand Index the most in-demand occupations in the central west in December were sales assistants (150 job ads), followed by general clerks (96), registered nurses (84), labourers (62), child carers (56), aged care and disability workers (53), retail managers (44) and waiters (43).
A more recent look at job vacancy sites shows employers are also seeking workers in trades and services, with 56 jobs for tradespeople advertised as of Tuesday in Orange alone, and 192 roles across the Blue Mountains and Central West region.
The Regional Australia Institute's latest report says regional labour markets across Australia are "generally running at full employment" and that labour shortages "really started to bite in 2021."
"Additional policy measures that address education and training, as well as housing, are needed if labour supply (particularly skilled labour) is to meet labour demand in the regions," said the Institute's Chief Economist Dr Kim Houghton.
Meanwhile, the latest ABS Labour Force Survey shows Health Care and Social Assistance overtook Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry as the largest employer in the central west in November accounting for 13.8 per cent of all jobs.
Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry now employs 13.6 percent of the region's workers, followed by Education and Training, (8.8 per cent), Accommodation and Food Services (8.5 per cent) and Construction (6.8 per cent).