Internet job ads rose 7.6 pct in January

Job advertisements on the internet jumped 7.6 per cent in January, official figures show.

The Department of Employment's internet vacancy index rose to a seasonally adjusted 63.9 points in the month, but was still 2.2 per cent lower than a year ago.

All eight occupational groups monitored by the department rose in January.

The strongest demand in the month was for labourers, which surged by 9.6 per cent.

Job ads increased in all states and the Northern Territory in January, but fell by 2.7 per cent in the ACT.

The highest demand for workers was in Western Australia, where job ads rose 10.7 per cent.

However, WA also saw one of the biggest falls in job ads over the year, down 17.3 per cent.

Annual demand was even weaker in the territories with the NT down 24.5 per cent and the ACT down 21.4 per cent.

The strongest hiring demand over the year was in NSW (up 6.1 per cent), followed by Tasmania (up five per cent).