The highest job levels in two years in Australia have been recorded by recruitment firm, Seek, as the country continues on the road to reopening.

A 10.2% rise in listings month-on-month was registered in October, during a series of stimulus measures by the governments of New South Wales and Victoria. According to Seek’s managing director, Kendra Banks, the rise in job ads indicated Australia’s economic resurgence was progressing well, bolstered by recently implemented economic stimulus measures.

“This was due in large part to restrictions easing in our two most populated states, NSW and Victoria, and businesses embraced this welcome news by preparing for the summer holiday period,” Banks said. 

Seek registered a 63.2% increase in national job ads year-on-year, with the largest rises in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, at 20.3%, 19% and 16.3% respectively.

At the end of last month, New South Wales Treasurer, Dominic Perrottet unveiled a new stimulus package focused on “pent-up” consumer demand, designed to inject cash into the economy through household spending, reports Business Insider Australia.

The stimulus package, totalling $2.8 billion, allocated $66 million to the hospitality sector, with the aim of encouraging bars and cafes to set up outdoor dining, as well as extra funding for the arts.

A similar initiative was implemented in Victoria, with $54.5 million allocated to outdoor spending proposals.

As a result of the soaring number of jobs listed, Seek recorded a slight fall in job applications, Banks said: “Having a record number of jobs posted on seek.com.au contributes to a drop in the number of job applications per ad.”

Job applications declined by 5.4% month-on-month, a drop of 44.2% compared to the same period two years ago.

Moreover, there were 55% more short-term jobs advertised in retail and hospitality compared to the same time in 2020.

Chief executive of Business NSW Daniel Hunter commented at the beginning of October: “When we went into this lockdown, there was already a skilled migration shortage and a general labour shortage.

“In Australia we rely on immigration and migration for short-term and long-term labour, so the key really is to get this bounce back,” he added.