ANZ-Indeed Australian Job Ads fell 3.1% month-on-month in March 2026, reversing February’s 16-month high increase of 3.2% and marking the first decline in three months. It was also the sharpest drop since September, indicating that rising global energy costs are beginning to erode business confidence and hiring intentions.
The weakness was concentrated in education, nursing, personal care, and retail, more than offsetting solid gains in project management and engineering roles. Meanwhile, job ads in sectors with greater exposure to the Middle East conflict—such as logistics and transport—were broadly stable, suggesting conditions there remain cautious but have not yet moved into clear deterioration.
