Although the Reserve Bank
(RBA) believes that the current economic recovery
is robust and has signaled that interest rates
will be lifted over the next few months, businesses
appear less certain about the outlook. Our
weekly job ads survey suggests that employers
are already becoming more cautious about hiring
new staff, particularly in New South Wales.
One countervailing sign of optimism is the steady rise in internet-based
job advertisements. This is consistent with recent official statistics
showing a pick-up in demand for accounting, IT and community services
professionals.