Demand for workers comes off the boil

Hopes that March's strong rise in employment was a turning point for the economy may be premature as new figures show demand for new workers is wilting.

Job advertisements on the internet declined 0.6 per cent in March after a revised 0.3 per cent fall in February in trend terms, making for an annual rise of just 0.9 per cent, Department of Employment data released on Wednesday shows.

Six of the eight occupational groups monitored by the department fell in the month, while declining in three states and the ACT.