Australian ICT job vacancies plummet

The number of online job advertisements for ICT professionals in Australia fell by a record amount in November, according to the latest Internet Vacancy Index (IVI) report released by the government.

ICT vacancies fell to 10,199 in October and 9,738 in November; a month-on-month drop of 1.7 percent and 2.8 percent respectively. 

When compared to IVI figures from November last year, ICT online vacancies fell more than 25 percent — the biggest annual drop for ICT vacancies in the IVI's history.

Demand for engineering, ICT and science technicians fell, with November online vacancies falling to 5283: a drop of 33.3 percent compared to the same period last year. 

IVI reports are based on a count of online vacancies newly lodged on SEEK, My Career, CareerOne and Australian JobSearch. They covers all occupations and skill levels. 

The IVI fell in all states and territories in 2012, with the strongest decline recorded in Queensland (down by 29.3 percent), Western Australia (26.5 percent) and South Australia (25.8 percent).