17 Apr 2014

More jobs advertised in March

1:47 pm on 17 April 2014

Job advertisements rose 1.1 percent in March, taking the annual increase to more than 13 percent.

It's the third monthly increase in a row.

ANZ Bank's survey of job advertisements, which is seasonally adjusted, shows online job advertisements rose two percent last month, while newspaper ads fell 4.6 percent.

ANZ economist Sharon Zollner says the rise in the number of ads bodes well for the ongoing decline in the unemployment rate.

She says the labour market normally lags behind the general economic cycle but firms have been saying for a long time they want to hire more people and it seems they are taking the next step and placing ads.

Ms Zollner says companies wouldn't be advertising for jobs if they weren't optimistic and that should translate into a drop in the unemployment rate in the next set of figures.

However, she warns there is still a severe mismatch between the skills needed and the skills available in the economy.