ACT workers in strong demand

Canberrans had feared that sharp cuts to the public service would result in massive unemployment in the territory.

But new figures show that growth in demand for workers in the ACT has been the strongest in the past year compared to the rest of the nation.

ACT job advertisements posted on the internet have risen 23.5 per cent compared to a year earlier, following a 6.1 per cent jump in January.

The next strongest annual rate is in NSW at 10.2 per cent, while the weakest is Western Australia, posting a fall of 2.5 per cent over the year.

Overall, the Department of Employment's internet vacancy index rose three per cent in seasonally adjusted terms in February to 5.7 per cent over the year.

Six of the eight occupational groups monitored by the department rose in the month, led by 6.8 per cent increases in both job ads for managers and sales workers.