Job vacancies in the public sector grow while those in the private sector drop, according to the latest ABS data. Photo: File.
Job growth in the public sector is putting the private sector to shame, with vacancies in the public service increasing at the same time as they are falling in industry.
Nationally, job vacancies dropped by 0.2 per cent in the three months to November 2025, according to new quarterly figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
This was led by a decrease in vacancies in the private sector.
Job vacancies across the spectrum fell in five of the eight states and territories over the quarter to November 2025, with the ACT seeing a public service-led 3.7 per cent increase and NSW a 0.6 per cent drop.
The Northern Territory had the largest drop, down by 11.3 per cent in the three months, followed by South Australia which saw a drop of 6.6 per cent.
Victoria had the biggest rise, up by 7.0 per cent. This was followed by Western Australia, up by 6.5 per cent.
ABS head of labour statistics Robert Long pointed to a marked difference in the job vacancies for the private sector and those of the public sector.
“There were 326,700 job vacancies in November, around the same as there were at the beginning of the year, in February 2025,” he said.
“Over the 12 months to November 2025, there were 17,800 fewer job vacancies, a fall of 5.2 per cent.
“Private sector job vacancies also drove the annual decrease, falling by 6.8 per cent in the year to November.
“Over the same time, public sector vacancies went up by 8.9 per cent.”
Public sector vacancies for the ACT rose 5.8 per cent from the previous 2025 quarter and is a whopping 31.1 per cent increase over the November quarter of the previous year.
The job vacancies figures are all seasonally adjusted and show an unsettling trend for the private sector.
Job vacancies fell in seven of 18 industries studied in the three months to November 2025.
The largest fall was seen in the education and training industry, down by 15.5 per cent.
This was followed by the rental, hiring and real estate services industry, which fell by 12.8 per cent.
The largest percentage rise (19.0 per cent) was in the “other services” industry classification, which includes a broad range of personal services such as selected repair and maintenance, hair and beauty services and religious, civic and professional interest group services.
The wholesale trade industry rose by 13.6 per cent.
Activate Australia, however, points to the large number of actual vacancies, saying the figures reflect the “deep, chronic workforce shortages” that communities have been experiencing for a long time.
Spokesperson Violet Roumeliotis said almost 330,000 job vacancies was a lot of positions not being filled, which could be filled by making overseas skills recognition faster, fairer and more affordable.
“These figures aren’t short-term blips, they’re structural gaps that are holding back our productivity and our economic growth,” she said.
“Our costly and confusing skills recognition system is slowing down the workforce Australians rely on every day.
“Everyone loses when qualified and experienced professionals are held back from working in their fields and contributing fully to our country.
“When shortages are this widespread, it’s more important than ever to harness every skilled worker and that’s why reforming the skills recognition system is so critical.”
The Activate Australia’s Skills campaign is calling for four practical solutions to reform skills recognition, including establishing one national governance system; linking skills recognition for migration purposes with licensing and accreditation for employment purposes; providing financial support; and setting up migrant employment pathway hubs.
