Job vacancies fell to 329,500 in May 2026, according to new quarterly figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Sean Crick, ABS head of labour statistics, said: 'Job vacancies fell by 2.1 per cent in the three months to May 2026, the first drop in vacancies since August 2025.
'The decline in job vacancies was widespread, with falls across the public and private sectors as well as most states and industries.'
| Job vacancies ('000) | |
|---|---|
| May-16 | 171.3 |
| Aug-16 | 177.1 |
| Nov-16 | 182.4 |
| Feb-17 | 185.1 |
| May-17 | 185.8 |
| Aug-17 | 200.1 |
| Nov-17 | 205.1 |
| Feb-18 | 213.1 |
| May-18 | 223.5 |
| Aug-18 | 227.1 |
| Nov-18 | 232.4 |
| Feb-19 | 232.5 |
| May-19 | 227.2 |
| Aug-19 | 221.8 |
| Nov-19 | 230.6 |
| Feb-20 | 227.4 |
| May-20 | 128.4 |
| Aug-20 | 203.3 |
| Nov-20 | 260.1 |
| Feb-21 | 287.8 |
| May-21 | 366.7 |
| Aug-21 | 329.2 |
| Nov-21 | 406.5 |
| Feb-22 | 422.8 |
| May-22 | 473.1 |
| Aug-22 | 466.7 |
| Nov-22 | 451.3 |
| Feb-23 | 439.1 |
| May-23 | 422.3 |
| Aug-23 | 399.8 |
| Nov-23 | 385.1 |
| Feb-24 | 359.7 |
| May-24 | 346.3 |
| Aug-24 | 332.7 |
| Nov-24 | 346.3 |
| Feb-25 | 325.0 |
| May-25 | 336.7 |
| Aug-25 | 327.9 |
| Nov-25 | 328.7 |
| Feb-26 | 336.6 |
| May-26 | 329.5 |
The Financial and insurance services industry had the largest quarterly percentage drop, with a fall of 21.4 per cent. This was followed by Accommodation and food services, which was down by 16.1 per cent.
The largest percentage rises in job vacancies were in Manufacturing, up by 16.9 per cent, followed by Information media and telecommunications, up by 9.6 per cent.
Job vacancies fell in seven of the eight states and territories over the three months to May 2026, with Tasmania experiencing the only rise in vacancies at 1.4 per cent. Victoria had the largest decrease, down by 8.0 per cent. This was followed by South Australia which fell by 6.5 per cent.
Job vacancies in the private sector decreased by 1.4 per cent, or 4,000 vacancies, in the three months to May 2026. At the same time vacancies in the public sector fell by 7.9 per cent, or 3,000.
The ABS would like to thank businesses in Australia for their continued support in responding to our surveys.
