The number of jobs counted on internet jobs boards hit a record in August and the proportion of IT jobs was up near the top of the table, according a recent survey survey.

The Olivier Internet Job Index, published monthly by recruiter Olivier Group, recorded 177,885 jobs on the major Australian job boards in August. That was an increase of 3.54% over July and the fourth successive monthly increase. Job ads have grown 30.96% in the past 12 months, according to Olivier.

As far as internet job ads are any indication of the real employment scene, IT&T seems to have regained much of its lost ground and is now once again among the top four employment sectors. Sales and Marketing is the biggest sector by volume of job ads at 13.9%, then Trades and Services at 13.2%. IT&T at 10.4% is challenging Accounting at 10.65% for third spot.

Of the ICT job types advertised, three sectors dominated: software development & engineering (29.33%); management & sales (20.04%); and networks, communications & security (12.47%). Systems administration (7.42%); help desk & desktop support (7.39%); and database development & administration (5.52%) also had strong demand.

"These record breaking months are the result of a number of drivers," Robert Olivier, a director of Olivier Group, says. "The overall growth reflects very real problems employers are facing. "Talking to CEOs I hear that there are now systemic shortages of skilled tradespeople and professionals."

The Federal government's decision to try to find 20,000 skilled workers overseas acknowledges that Australian companies now have to compete internationally for workers. The new E-3 visa allowed for Australians under the FTA who want to work in the US adds to the brain drain, according to Olivier.

Olivier says that even countries that have been net exporters of skilled immigrants to Australia may dry up as a supply. India says they're short of 120,000 people with European language skills, and they're looking offshore.

What really needs to be done now by some enterprising researcher is a study relating how many actual jobs are represented by the internet job ads on job boards, how many are duplications and how many are bogus.

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Recruitment