The total number of job advertisements in Australian newspapers and on the internet rose 4.4% in seasonally adjusted terms in September compared with August, Australia & New Zealand Banking Group, which compiles the data from major newspapers, said.
The total number of job advertisements rose to a seasonally adjusted average of 136,070 ads per week, contributing to a 44.9% decline from a year earlier, ANZ said.
The number of Internet job advertisements rose 4.5% in September from August, contributing to an on-year decline of 45.1% in seasonally adjusted terms. Job advertisements in newspapers in Australia rose 3.7% in September from August, contributing to a 41.3% on-year decrease in seasonally adjusted terms.The total on-month increase in job advertisements is the second consecutive monthly increase following 15 straight months of declines. It is also the strongest rate of growth since December 2007. Total job ads are now 8.7% above their cyclical low hit in June.
"These data provide the best evidence we have received to date that the labour market - and the economy more generally - are entering an early recovery phase following this downturn," ANZ Acting Chief Economist Warren Hogan said.
However, Hogan said the commencement of the recovery is likely to result in longer working hours for existing employees rather than an increase in total employment numbers. "It may therefore take some time to see sustained net job growth again, even after indicators such as job ads turn up," he said.
Despite the Australian economy's relative resilience, Hogan expects employment to have fallen by about 20,000 in September from August and for the unemployment rate to have risen above 6%.