Technology sector escapes worst of jobs slide

Peter Dinham
Monday, 09 March 2009 08:53

IT Industry - Deals

According to the Olivier index, there was with an average weekly count of 247,800 jobs on the major Australian job boards.
Olivier says that the biggest losses in February were in trades & services with a drop of 20%, administration down 17%, building & construction (-15%), transport (-13%) and engineering (-13%).

However, according to Olivier, the financial services sector picked up in February with a 2% increase in job ads mainly due to demand for insurance claims assessors following the Victorian fires.

“Bolstered by government jobs the ACT fared best with only a 1.5% drop and Victoria and NSW didn’t do too badly with falls of 2% and 4.6% respectively. South Australia fell 16%, Queensland -15% and WA was down 14.5%.”

Olivier said the increased number of job seekers was compounding the lack of job ads, as recruiters don’t need to run an ad as long as in the past to find the right people.

And, as a long time recruiter Robert Olivier has plenty of suggestions for people facing uncertain employment at the moment.

“As an individual you'll get despondent if you read too much into the big picture. My advice is don't worry too much about Iceland or the Dow. Work is local and you only need one job.

“If the job you want doesn't come along, consider doing some work with not-for-profit organisations. It can keep you busy and keep you positive. You really must call former colleagues, not just rely upon web-based social networks. They're the people who really know what you can do.”