Internet job ads plateau in October

Demand for workers appears to be levelling out, a worry for the thousands of people still seeking employment.

The Department of Employment's latest vacancy report showed the number of job advertisements posted on the internet in October was unchanged from the previous month.

The department said this followed 12 consecutive months of increases.

While vacancies are over 11 per cent higher than a year earlier, they are nearly 50 per cent below a peak in March 2008, indicating that demand for labour remains relatively subdued.

However, adverts rose for half of the eight occupational groups monitored by the department in October, led by a seasonally adjusted 2.4 per cent increase for those seeking labourers.

NSW remains the key state for job opportunities with ads there rising a further 1.2 per cent in October for a 19.6 per cent increase over the year.