IT job ads, vacancies down in March: Survey

The IT job market fell 15 per cent in March, crashing to the level of 2005 and down by 53 per cent on the same time last year, according to the Olivier Job Index.

Internet job ads also fell, to 12.5 per cent in March 09 leaving fewer vacancies advertised on the than at the beginning of the year.

Across all sectors the Olivier Job Index fell a further 12.51 per cent in March, bringing the three month loss in Australian job ads to 30.51 per cent, and this according to Olivier Group director Robert Olivier, suggests the job market is only going to get worse.

“That's a lot of lost opportunities for Australians workers,” Olivier said.

Permanent job vacancies were down across all sectors more than part-time and contract positions, with full-time down 13.4 per cent, compared with 3.3 per cent of contract jobs.

The less commitment employers need to make, the more willing they are to hire, says Olivier, adding that the market will show signs of improvement when employers can hire without increasing their headcount.

“Even if you want a permanent role, temporary jobs are definitely worth taking in the current climate,” Olivier said.

“Any job keeps you active and that's positive. There's a chance to impress in the organisation and that may lead to a permanent job offer.”

Western Australia chalked up the worst result for IT workers in March, with their job vacancies falling 22.7 percent.

Queensland IT jobs fell 15.6 per cent and Victoria, ACT & New South Wales dropped 17, 14.5 and 13.8 per cent respectively, with the Olivier Job Index exposing Australia’s smaller states are the better market’s for IT job seekers.

The engineering sector suffered the worst fall, down 20.42 per cent in March, following the mining bust. The next biggest falls were in human resources (17.10 per cent), and in administration work (16.78 per cent). Jobs opportunities for graduates are also becoming harder to find, with jobs in the accounting and engineering industries falling in demand.

In March the ABS jobless figure rose 0.4 per cent from 4.8 to 5.2 per cent.

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