An index of job vacancies for skilled workers rose 0.6% in Mar from Feb, but was 10% down from a year ago, the Department of Employment & Workplace Relations said.
The index currently stands at 41.6. Vacancies are counted on the first Saturday of every month. The declining on-year trend is expected to continue as employers move to online advertising and away from newspaper advertising, the department said in the report.
In March, newspaper vacancies increased in three states, with the largest increase occurring in Queensland. Over the year, the skilled vacancy index fell in all three major occupational groups, with associate professionals down 31%, professionals down 20% and trades down 3.8%.
Job vacancies overall rose 3.6% in seasonally adjusted terms during the three-month period ended Feb. 28, 2011, from the previous three-month period, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported.