The manufacturing sector’s growth appears to be behind a surge in demand for machinery operators and drivers in a Department of Employment survey.
AAP reports that the department’s Internet Vacancy Index – which counts online job ads for Seek, CareerOne and Australian Job Search Websites – recorded advertisements for machinery operators and drivers surged 10.3 per cent in June. For the last year, it jumped 29 per cent.
The employment category, according to the monthly survey’s figures, was the strongest of eight employment types tracked. Second for the year just passed was labourers, up 27.2 per cent. Vacancies were up in six of the eight groups.
Overall vacancies for skilled jobs are up 11 per cent compared to a year ago, notes Business Insider, and up 0.9 per cent for June.
One interpretation of the results is that manufacturing has driven the demand for machinery operators and drivers.
The sector is enjoying an unbroken month-on-month growth period of 12 months, according to the Australian Industry Group’s Performance of Manufacturing Index, its best run in a decade.