SEEK’s July report shows applications per job ad at a record high, SEEK Chief Economist Dr Blair Chapman explains what’s driving it.
Australian job ads fell again in July, but for SME owners currently hiring, the applicant side of the market is telling a different story. SEEK’s July 2026 Employment Report shows national job ads dropped 0.4 per cent month-on-month and 6.0 per cent year-on-year, while applications per job ad rose 1.2 per cent over the same month and are now at their highest level on record.
SEEK Chief Economist Dr Blair Chapman said the rate of decline in job ads has eased in recent months, with growth concentrated in a narrower set of industries.
“Job ads are declining at a slower pace and across a slightly narrower range of industries. There is notable, sustained growth in the large Construction and trade-based industries, with rising demand specifically for roles in the planning, construction and maintenance of data centres.”
Trades & Services, the largest hiring industry on the platform, recorded a 0.9 per cent rise in job ads in July, with growth in every state except the Northern Territory. Construction ads rose 1.3 per cent, and Hospitality & Tourism, which had declined for ten consecutive months, posted its third straight month of growth, up 2.1 per cent.
The state picture was mixed. New South Wales drove the national decline, down 0.7 per cent month-on-month and now in its twelfth consecutive month of falling demand, though Construction and Hospitality & Tourism roles grew even there. Victoria recorded its first monthly rise in job ads in a year, up 0.5 per cent, led by Trades & Services and Hospitality & Tourism. South Australia and Western Australia both recorded monthly and annual growth, with South Australia’s gains driven heavily by Mining, Resources & Energy and Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics.
Chapman pointed to data centre construction as a significant driver behind some of the strongest state-level growth.
“South Australia has emerged as a powerhouse in this space, with data centre job ads more than tripling over the past year and driving sustained annual job ad growth in the state for the past eighteen months.”
Demand for roles referencing data centres has more than doubled nationally over the past year, up 109.5 per cent, spanning Data Technicians, Project Managers, Engineers and HVAC Technicians. South Australia recorded the sharpest rise, up 248.3 per cent year-on-year, ahead of Victoria (127.6 per cent) and New South Wales (107.3 per cent).
Chapman also noted some seasonal hiring patterns outside the trades and infrastructure sectors.
“Outside the trades and infrastructure-related industries, other pockets of growth point to some greater-than-usual seasonal hiring trends. Hospitality & Tourism jobs have risen in most states month-on-month, while a jump in Sports & Recreation signals faster hiring activity for the sports and fitness sector, than we would usually see at this time of year.”
On AI’s role in the labour market, Chapman said its influence is emerging but still limited overall.
“AI’s influence is beginning to show in the labour market, although its impact remains modest so far. The clearest signs are in the changing composition of demand, particularly for roles with high or medium automation exposure. At the same time, broader macroeconomic pressures, including high operating costs and cost-of-living pressures, continue to weigh on most sectors.”
For SME owners, the combination of softer overall ad volumes and record applications per ad points to more candidate choice per role than in recent memory, particularly outside the trades, construction and hospitality sectors where demand remains comparatively strong.
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