Employment & Wages•Series ID: GLFOSVT•1979–2026
Australian Job Vacancies - Historical Data
Quarterly survey of employers measuring unmet labour demand across the Australian economy.
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Current Statistics & Historical Records
Latest Reading (31 Aug 2026)
325.0k
Prev (31 May 2026): 328.0k-3.0
Highest Recorded (31 May 2022)
472.7k
Post-pandemic inflation surge & rapid RBA tightening cycle
Lowest Recorded (31 Aug 1982)
26.8k
Early 1980s recession & drought
Long-Run Mean (1979–2026)
142.4k
48 annual observations · Quarterly
Australian Job Vacancies - Historical Series (1979–2026)
'000 vacanciesDrag to pan, scroll to zoom, or toggle between full annual history (1979–2026) and recent quarterly releases.
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Source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (GLFOSVT) Latest: 325 '000 vacancies (31 Aug 2026)
Australian Job Vacancies by Decade (1979–2026)
Decade averages, peaks, and troughs across Australian economic cycles
1970s1979–1979
41.3k
High (1979):41.3
Low (1979):41.3
1980s1980–1989
55.0k
High (1989):83.5
Low (1982):31.2
1990s1990–1999
67.9k
High (1999):101.0
Low (1991):31.5
2000s2000–2009
133.2k
High (2008):181.3
Low (2001):93.1
2010s2010–2019
180.8k
High (2019):228.1
Low (2013):143.2
2020s2020–2026
346.1k
High (2022):453.5
Low (2020):204.8
Australian Job Vacancies - Historical Table (1979–2026)
Unit: '000 vacancies · Source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (GLFOSVT)
| Year | Job Vacancies ('000 vacancies) | Year Range (Low – High) | Historical Context / Year Snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 329.5 | 325.0 – 335.5 | The Australian Economy in 2026 → |
| 2025 | 329.6 | 324.0 – 335.5 | Disinflation & monetary policy recalibration |
| 2024 | 346.3 | 334.0 – 359.0 | The Australian Economy in 2024 → |
| 2023 | 411.6 | 385.5 – 438.5 | The Australian Economy in 2023 → |
| 2022 | 453.5 | 422.6 – 472.7 | Post-pandemic inflation surge & rapid RBA tightening cycle |
| 2021 | 347.6 | 287.7 – 406.4 | The Australian Economy in 2021 → |
| 2020 | 204.8 | 128.4 – 260.0 | COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor |
| 2019 | 228.1 | 221.9 – 232.5 | The Australian Economy in 2019 → |
| 2018 | 224.0 | 213.0 – 232.4 | The Australian Economy in 2018 → |
| 2017 | 194.0 | 185.1 – 205.1 | The Australian Economy in 2017 → |
| 2016 | 175.8 | 171.3 – 182.4 | The Australian Economy in 2016 → |
| 2015 | 159.7 | 151.9 – 167.4 | The Australian Economy in 2015 → |
| 2014 | 146.7 | 143.2 – 149.7 | The Australian Economy in 2014 → |
| 2013 | 143.2 | 138.9 – 149.8 | The Australian Economy in 2013 → |
| 2012 | 175.0 | 164.8 – 181.8 | The Australian Economy in 2012 → |
| 2011 | 184.9 | 179.3 – 189.4 | China mining investment & Terms of Trade supercycle peak |
| 2010 | 177.1 | 168.4 – 191.1 | The Australian Economy in 2010 → |
| 2009 | 148.9 | 148.9 | The Australian Economy in 2009 → |
| 2008 | 181.3 | 178.2 – 184.5 | Global Financial Crisis (GFC) & emergency rate cuts |
| 2007 | 171.5 | 160.8 – 183.3 | The Australian Economy in 2007 → |
| 2006 | 153.8 | 144.3 – 162.1 | The Australian Economy in 2006 → |
| 2005 | 140.1 | 134.1 – 146.2 | The Australian Economy in 2005 → |
| 2004 | 123.7 | 103.8 – 139.2 | The Australian Economy in 2004 → |
| 2003 | 106.5 | 104.1 – 109.7 | The Australian Economy in 2003 → |
| 2002 | 96.8 | 90.5 – 103.0 | The Australian Economy in 2002 → |
| 2001 | 93.1 | 88.5 – 99.7 | The Australian Economy in 2001 → |
| 2000 | 115.8 | 114.4 – 118.1 | Introduction of the 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) |
| 1999 | 101.0 | 87.2 – 109.6 | The Australian Economy in 1999 → |
| 1998 | 98.5 | 89.8 – 104.0 | The Australian Economy in 1998 → |
| 1997 | 84.8 | 81.3 – 90.4 | The Australian Economy in 1997 → |
| 1996 | 79.4 | 76.7 – 82.5 | The Australian Economy in 1996 → |
| 1995 | 74.3 | 72.5 – 77.3 | The Australian Economy in 1995 → |
| 1994 | 73.7 | 57.6 – 85.6 | The Australian Economy in 1994 → |
| 1993 | 43.4 | 37.0 – 48.5 | RBA formalises 2–3% inflation targeting |
| 1992 | 33.8 | 31.9 – 36.9 | The Australian Economy in 1992 → |
| 1991 | 31.5 | 29.8 – 33.8 | Early 1990s recession ("The recession we had to have") |
| 1990 | 58.6 | 41.6 – 71.9 | Monetary tightening peak (17.5% Cash Rate) |
| 1989 | 83.5 | 76.6 – 93.7 | The Australian Economy in 1989 → |
| 1988 | 77.6 | 70.2 – 85.1 | The Australian Economy in 1988 → |
| 1987 | 68.3 | 66.9 – 70.1 | October 1987 sharemarket crash |
| 1986 | 64.6 | 61.1 – 66.3 | The Australian Economy in 1986 → |
| 1985 | 65.6 | 60.4 – 68.6 | The Australian Economy in 1985 → |
| 1984 | 45.8 | 40.3 – 49.8 | The Australian Economy in 1984 → |
| 1983 | 33.0 | 29.7 – 36.3 | Float of the Australian Dollar & Prices and Incomes Accord |
| 1982 | 31.2 | 26.8 – 37.3 | Early 1980s recession & drought |
| 1981 | 41.9 | 37.4 – 44.5 | The Australian Economy in 1981 → |
| 1980 | 38.4 | 36.7 – 40.6 | The Australian Economy in 1980 → |
| 1979 | 41.3 | 38.4 – 43.5 | The Australian Economy in 1979 → |
Related Australian Economic Statistics
Source Information & Methodology
- Primary Institution:
- Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- Dataset / Publication:
- Labour Force - Total Job Vacancies
- Series / Table ID:
- RBA Statistical Table H5 (GLFOSVT)
- Release Frequency:
- Quarterly
• Primary source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - Labour Force - Total Job Vacancies (RBA Statistical Table H5).
• Observation frequency: Quarterly. Annual table values represent calendar year averages.
• Series coverage spans 1979 to 2026 (48 annual observations).
APA Citation:Reserve Bank of Australia & Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2026). Labour Force - Total Job Vacancies (H5: GLFOSVT). Retrieved October 2026 from https://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/tables/
Frequently Asked Questions: Australian Job Vacancies
- What is the current Australian Job Vacancies?
- As of 31 Aug 2026, the latest recorded Australian Job Vacancies is 325.0 ('000 vacancies), compared with 328.0 in 31 May 2026.
- What is the highest and lowest Australian Job Vacancies ever recorded in Australia?
- Across the historical series (1979–2026), the highest observation was 472.7 ('000 vacancies) in 31 May 2022, while the lowest was 26.8 ('000 vacancies) in 31 Aug 1982. The long-run historical average is 142.4.
- Where is the official Australian Job Vacancies data sourced from?
- This series is compiled from Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (Labour Force - Total Job Vacancies, Series ID: GLFOSVT) and is updated on a quarterly basis under CC BY 4.0 International / RBA Terms.