Australian job vacancies fell to 325,000 in August

• Australian job vacancies dropped by 0.9% to 325,000 during the three months to August.
• The quarterly decline was led by the private sector, which shed 5,800 available positions.
• The Australian Bureau of Statistics attributed the overall decrease to falling demand in business goods and services.

Australian job vacancies fell by 0.9% to 325,000 in the three months to August, according to official data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The latest quarterly drop follows a larger 2.2 per cent decline in available positions recorded during the previous three months.

"Job vacancies fell by 3,000, or 0.9%, in the three months to August 2026," said ABS Head of Labour Statistics Sean Crick.

The private sector led the downturn with a drop of 2%, or 5,800 positions, while wholesale trade experienced the largest industry contraction at 18%.

Retail trade recorded the strongest growth across all industries, with a 24.5% surge in openings over the quarter.

Following the announcement, the ABS job vacancy index registered a 1.3% drop compared to the same period last year.

Geographically, five of the eight states and territories saw lower demand, led by a 21.9% fall in the Australian Capital Territory.