jobs in Australia
A job advert for a local fast food outlet hangs on a wall in a shopping center located in central Sydney, Australia, in this March. Reuters/David Gray

Demand for store managers and sales assistants can be expected in the first half of 2018. Businesses are also likely to employ receptionists, executive assistants and executive and senior management support.

The Hays Jobs Report also predicts demand for job roles in the office support space. These include receptionists who can do personal assistant tasks or personal assistants who can assist in marketing.

Retail trade is among the top industries in Australia that will likely post the most number of vacancies. It had up to 25,900 jobs vacancies in November. This was the highest number the industry has recorded compared to 22,700 a year earlier.

Among job roles predicted to be in demand in these industries are store managers and sales assistants, thanks to a high turnover of staff. The report states that particular category experience like hard goods and fashion is important.

Aldi area manager John Thompson jumped into the retail sector and said it was the people side of the role that appealed to him. He added that it is no secret they get paid really well, get five weeks of annual leave every year, have a company car and a phone.

Thompson said that while all of these are great, what is really rewarding for him is what he gets out of working with the people at Aldi. “Hiring someone as a retail assistant and seeing them grow to become a store manager is really rewarding,” News.com.au reports him as saying.

Jobseekers who wish to secure a role like this must be people-focused. Thompson added that an applicant must also possess a true desire to help motivate, lead and inspire a team.

Healthcare and social assistance is another industry predicted to generate the most jobs vacancies. There were approximately 23,400 job vacancies in this sector.

The report predicts a demand for social workers in the first half of this year. Job hiring for counsellors, caseworkers and coordinators can be expected.

Professionals connected to the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) are tipped to be in demand as well. These include support co-ordinators, allied health professionals like therapists and physiotherapists and team leaders.

In the three months to November, job vacancies in Australia jumped to their highest on record. Analysts value the vacancies series because it has proven a solid indicator of labour demand as well as turning points in Australia’s employment growth.