Australia job vacancies flat in May: ANZ

[SYDNEY] Australian job advertisements in newspapers and on the Internet were unchanged in May having hit their highest in two and a half years the month before, while annual growth in ads stayed strong.

A survey by Australia and New Zealand Banking Group showed total job advertisements were flat at 144,767 per week on average in May. Annual growth in ads picked up to 14.1 per cent, from 7.3 per cent in April.

Ads on the internet edged up 0.1 per cent in May, offsetting a 4.3 per cent drop in newspaper ads. The latter have been in decline for years and account for only a fraction of total ads.

The official employment report for May is due on Thursday and is expected to show an increase of around 11,000 with the jobless rate staying at 6.2 per cent.

REUTERS