Labour demand in industries highly exposed to the conflict in the Middle East remains 'largely unchanged'
Job ads in Australia saw a monthly drop of 3.1% in March, with the conflict in the Middle East anticipated to further reduce labour demand in the coming months, according to a new report.
The latest research from ANZ-Indeed showed that the rising trend of job ads ended in March, even reversing most of the 3.2% increase recorded in February.
"Upward momentum ground to a halt in March, with a broad-based decline across almost every state and territory," said Callam Pickering, senior economist at Indeed.
"Job ads fell considerably in New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria, although opportunities remain well above their levels at the end of 2025."
By industry, Pickering said the drop in job ads was concentrated in education, nursing, personal care, and retail.
"That more than offset gains in project management roles and engineering, which have been supported recently by graduate hiring," he added.
Impact of Middle East conflict
Meanwhile, job ads for industries highly exposed to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East remained stable in March.
"Job ads for occupations highly exposed to the conflict in the Middle East, such as logistics and transport, were largely unchanged in March," Pickering said.
But the report, citing the minutes of the March RBA Monetary Policy Board meeting, warned that the prolonged conflict has the "potential to lead to a reduction in labour demand."
Employers across Australia have been expressing alarm over the ongoing conflict, with rising absenteeism in workplaces prompting the implementation of working from home arrangements to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices in the country.
