JobWatch: where the jobs are

The latest analysis on online job ads from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations makes for depressing reading: online job ads in ICT fell again last month.

In April, newly advertised jobs for ICT professionals were 2 per cent down from March, and 22 per cent down on a year ago. More worrying is the longer-term demand for professional roles — demand for ICT managers has fallen 65 per cent over the last five years.

There's a similar drop in demand for telco engineers, and there are 42 per cent fewer jobs for ICT sales professionals. And that's not all: systems admin roles are also well down.

A sudden rise in demand for telco technical specialists is the only bright spot — but even then, the number of roles is a third down on five years ago, and, in actual fact, there are only 63 jobs listed in this category, anyway.

ICT job trends in Australia
(Credit: Phil Dobbie/ZDNet Australia)

So, if you're finding it hard to land a job, now you know why. But would it be any easier if you moved to a different part of the country? It seems that any move out of Sydney will increase your chances. (The number of ICT professional roles available dropped everywhere, but not as much it did in Sydney.)

ICT job trends in Australia
(Credit: Phil Dobbie/ZDNet Australia)

As the table shows, the best option for an ICT professional is to drop the "professional" tag altogether — in fact, the best idea is to promote yourself as a technician, and move to Perth. The number of roles there (and in Brisbane) is only 25 per cent down on Sydney, despite having only a third of the population.

When the market is tight, the ability to "do" rather than "manage" is tantamount, as is the willingness to get on your bike and move somewhere else. It's a long ride across the Nullarbor, but it might be worth the effort.