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Australians seek casual jobs over full-time work

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Casual job waiting

Demand for flexible work has been growing since 2010.

Over the past few years, fundamental changes to Australia's labour market have had a diminishing effect on the propensity for full-time work, according to the country's leading career and recruitment website.

The latest data released by Aussie jobs site SEEK reveals casual/vacation positions were the fastest growing advertised roles during the month of March, compared to the same period last year.

Casual/vacation job ads rose by 19% year-on-year in March, while full-time ads increased by just 5%.

SEEK Australia and New Zealand managing director Michael Ilczynski said the number of non-full-time roles offered by employers has been progressively growing since late 2010.

"The decline in full-time work in Australia could be partly due to the structural changes in our country’s labour market," Ilczynski said.

SEEK's recent Employment Report March 2017 shows three different industries made up the bulk of the in-demand casual/vacation jobs on offer in March.

  • Hospitality & Tourism - Chefs, cooks and wait staff (up 38% year-on-year).
  • Trades & Service - Labourers, welders and boilermakers (up 31% year-on-year).
  • Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics - Warehouse, storage and distribution (up 10% year-on-year).

As can be seen in the table below, South Australia witnessed the greatest increase in advertised casual/vacation roles in March, up 39% year-on-year. Western Australia wasn't far behind (up 30% year-on-year), while Victoria (up 27% year-on-year) and the ACT (up 23% year-on-year) followed closely.

In South Australia and Western Australia, most of the casual job opportunities were in trades and service. However, in Victoria, the highest volumes were for manufacturing, transport and logistics positions.

State% growth from March 16 to March 17
South Australia39%
Western Australia30%
Victoria27%
Australian Capital Territory23%
Queensland17%
New South Wales15%
Tasmania14%
Northern Territory9%

Changing jobs? There's plenty to consider, including how to best manage your superannuation.

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