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Coronavirus fallout slashes job ads by two-thirds

Job ads have fallen by more than 60 per cent amid the worsening coronavirus outbreak.

Job ads have fallen by more than 60 per cent amid the worsening coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Getty

Job advertisements have been slashed by two-thirds as Australian businesses absorb the economic pain of the coronavirus.

Victoria and NSW have shown the biggest declines on jobs website Seek as the pandemic drives a wrecking ball through the national labour market.

Seek managing director Kendra Banks said the impact of the virus had been swift and extreme, compounding problems already caused by the summer’s bushfire crisis.

She said two key trends were emerging during the pandemic: A mass reduction in available jobs at a national level, and an urgent demand for workers in specific industries.

Retailers are hunting for shelf stackers, delivery drivers, supply chain managers and warehouse supervisors.

Manufacturers need more factory workers to keep up with increased demand for household staples, while large resources companies are looking to fill highly-skilled roles.

As more people in employment work from home, software developers and cyber security experts are in high demand, along with nannies and tutors.

Healthcare workers and call centre staff are also highly sought after.

The Morrison government wants workers displaced by COVID-19 to consider a career in naval shipbuilding.

The federally-funded Naval Shipbuilding College is teaming up with the hardest hit industries to launch a recruitment drive.

The college has established an online jobs portal and is rolling out a range of training short courses focused on priority roles in the shipbuilding field.

New jobs ads posted on Seek in the first week of April were down 65.3 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Victorian ads were down 71.6 per cent and there were 67.4 per cent fewer available jobs in NSW.

Despite the dramatic declines, people surveyed by Seek were fairly upbeat about their job prospects.

Confidence among unemployed people has fallen but more than half still believe they will find work.

The feeling of job security has dropped among people in work but more than half still believe they are safe in their current roles.

-AAP

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