Jobs in Victoria

Online job ads and the labour force in Victoria, from the latest official releases. Data to September 2026.

Online job ads, September 2026

46,000

up 0.1% on a year earlier Steady

Unemployment rate, September 2026

5.1%

up 0.3 points on a year earlier Rising

Employed people, September 2026

3,822,800

up 0.6% on a year earlier

Job ads seasonally adjusted. Labour force seasonally adjusted.

In plain English

In September 2026 there were 46,000 new online job ads in Victoria, seasonally adjusted.
Compared with September 2025, ads were up 0.1%, so by our rule they are steady over the year.
Over the month, ads held steady (down 0.9% on August 2026).
Compared with the 2019 monthly average of 46,800, ads were down 1.7%.
The unemployment rate was 5.1% in September 2026 (seasonally adjusted), down 0.1 points on August 2026 and up 0.3 points on a year earlier: rising by our rule.
Employment grew over the year (up 0.6%), to 3,822,800 people. The participation rate was 67.4%.
Professionals had the most ads (13,800, 30.1% of the total).
Among detailed groups with at least 200 ads in both months, ads rose most over the year for Hospitality Workers (up 42.5%).
They fell most for Education Professionals (down 26.8%).

The words follow fixed rules from the numbers: see the methodology.

Online job ads, the past five years

Unemployment rate, the past five years

Job ads by occupation group

The eight major groups, seasonally adjusted.

Online job ads by major occupation group, Victoria, seasonally adjusted
Occupation group	Ads, September 2026	On the month	On the year	Direction
Managers	5,920	down 1.1%	up 1.1%	Steady
Professionals	13,800	down 2.1%	down 2.8%	Steady
Technicians and Trades Workers	5,730	down 3.4%	up 5.9%	Rising
Community and Personal Service Workers	4,760	up 1.2%	down 1.4%	Steady
Clerical and Administrative Workers	7,130	up 1.0%	down 3.6%	Steady
Sales Workers	3,590	down 1.6%	down 0.4%	Steady
Machinery Operators and Drivers	2,260	down 1.6%	up 7.9%	Rising
Labourers	2,790	up 3.4%	up 13.2%	Rising
All occupations	46,000	down 0.9%	up 0.1%	Steady

All detailed occupation groups

Online job ads by detailed occupation group, Victoria, seasonally adjusted
Occupation group	Ads, September 2026	On the month	On the year	Direction
Chief Executives, Managing Directors & Legislators	280	up 1.0%	up 6.7%	Rising
Farmers and Farm Managers	69	down 18.1%	up 45.3%	Too few to call
Hospitality, Retail and Service Managers	1,750	up 1.8%	up 9.0%	Rising
Corporate Managers	2,000	down 3.4%	down 8.4%	Falling
Construction, Production and Distribution Managers	1,250	down 5.5%	up 4.9%	Steady
Health, Education, ICT and Other Managers	560	up 1.2%	up 7.1%	Rising
Arts and Media Professionals	290	down 6.8%	up 21.7%	Rising
Education Professionals	690	down 2.5%	down 26.8%	Falling
ICT Professionals	1,560	up 2.0%	down 9.4%	Falling
Legal, Social and Welfare Professionals	2,010	down 2.1%	down 3.5%	Steady
Business, Finance and Human Resource Professionals	1,760	down 7.8%	down 10.0%	Falling
Information Professionals	450	down 8.5%	down 17.0%	Falling
Sales, Marketing & Public Relations Professionals	760	down 0.5%	down 4.5%	Steady
Transport and Design Professionals, and Architects	410	down 7.5%	down 12.4%	Falling
Engineers	780	up 2.2%	up 12.5%	Rising
Science Professionals and Veterinarians	240	down 9.6%	down 3.0%	Steady
Health Diagnostic and Therapy Professionals	1,680	down 4.1%	down 5.3%	Falling
Medical Practitioners and Nurses	3,300	up 2.5%	up 19.2%	Rising
Engineering, ICT and Science Technicians	1,000	up 8.0%	up 9.3%	Rising
Automotive and Engineering Trades Workers	1,410	down 5.4%	down 1.4%	Steady
Construction Trades Workers	630	down 11.8%	up 3.3%	Steady
Electrotechnology and Telecommunications Trades Workers	610	down 15.5%	up 14.5%	Rising
Food Trades Workers	1,200	down 6.3%	up 17.9%	Rising
Skilled Animal and Horticultural Workers	310	up 3.6%	up 0.8%	Steady
Hairdressers, Printing, Clothing and Wood Trades Workers	230	down 3.5%	down 2.6%	Steady
Jewellers, Arts and Other Trades Workers	290	up 3.1%	down 0.9%	Steady
Health and Welfare Support Workers	630	up 1.3%	up 3.0%	Steady
Carers and Aides	2,520	down 0.8%	down 11.3%	Falling
Hospitality Workers	910	up 5.5%	up 42.5%	Rising
Protective Service Workers	230	up 1.5%	up 15.8%	Rising
Sports, Travel and Personal Service Workers	510	down 2.4%	down 13.8%	Falling
Numerical Clerks	1,450	up 3.8%	up 4.3%	Steady
Clerical and Office Support Workers	110	down 16.0%	down 7.0%	Falling
Other Clerical and Administrative Workers	1,470	down less than 0.1%	down 2.7%	Steady
Office Managers, Administrators and Secretaries	1,060	down 0.3%	down 0.1%	Steady
General-Inquiry Clerks, Call Centre Workers, and Receptionists	3,020	up 0.3%	down 8.1%	Falling
Sales Representatives and Agents	1,050	down 0.6%	down 7.6%	Falling
Sales Assistants and Salespersons	2,270	down 1.4%	up 3.3%	Steady
Sales Support Workers	260	down 7.0%	down 4.4%	Steady
Machine and Stationary Plant Operators	470	down 7.7%	down 2.2%	Steady
Mobile Plant Operators	630	down 6.9%	up 13.6%	Rising
Drivers and Storepersons	1,160	up 4.2%	up 9.1%	Rising
Cleaners and Laundry Workers	740	up 2.8%	up 33.9%	Rising
Construction and Mining Labourers	170	down 5.8%	down 6.5%	Falling
Factory Process Workers	500	up 7.4%	up 0.4%	Steady
Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers	180	down 1.0%	up 0.8%	Steady
Food Preparation Assistants	260	down 2.3%	up 14.5%	Rising
Other Labourers	940	up 3.5%	up 15.2%	Rising

Regions in Victoria

Jobs and Skills Australia's job ad regions, as three-month averages.

Online job ads by region, Victoria, three-month average
Region	Ads, three months to September 2026	On the year	Direction
Ballarat & Central Highlands	900	up 4.1%	Steady
Bendigo & High Country	3,590	up 1.9%	Steady
Geelong & Surf Coast	2,250	up 4.5%	Steady
Gippsland	1,980	down 3.5%	Steady
Melbourne	36,700	down 0.2%	Steady
Wimmera & Western	1,000	down 0.4%	Steady

By skill level

The level of education or experience the advertised job usually needs, as classified by the ABS.

Online job ads by skill level, Victoria, seasonally adjusted
Skill level the job usually needs	Ads, September 2026	On the month	On the year	Direction
Skill level 1: bachelor degree or higher	17,800	down 2.6%	down 2.4%	Steady
Skill level 2: advanced diploma or diploma	5,470	up 0.4%	up 6.3%	Rising
Skill level 3: certificate IV, or certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training	6,200	down 2.3%	down 0.9%	Steady
Skill level 4: certificate II or III	11,400	down 0.1%	down 1.9%	Steady
Skill level 5: certificate I or secondary education	4,970	up 0.5%	up 9.6%	Rising

Month by month

The past thirteen months, Victoria: job ads seasonally adjusted, labour force seasonally adjusted
Month	Online job ads	Unemployment rate	Employed people
September 2025	45,900	4.7%	3,800,800
October 2025	45,400	4.7%	3,791,900
November 2025	44,000	4.7%	3,808,100
December 2025	45,100	4.6%	3,801,200
January 2026	46,300	4.2%	3,803,500
February 2026	45,200	4.7%	3,805,700
March 2026	45,500	4.8%	3,775,800
April 2026	45,400	4.8%	3,775,600
May 2026	44,300	4.9%	3,797,800
June 2026	44,300	5.1%	3,812,000
July 2026	46,000	5.1%	3,814,600
August 2026	46,400	5.2%	3,828,000
September 2026	46,000	5.1%	3,822,800

What this means

General notes on reading job ads in Victoria, chosen by the direction of job ads over the year. They are not advice about your situation.

For job seekers

A steady count means the number of new ads is much the same as a year ago. The mix of occupations and places can still shift underneath, so look at the groups and regions that matter to you.

For students

Steady demand today says little about demand when you finish studying. Pair it with longer-term sources such as Jobs and Skills Australia's employment projections (opens another site) and Your Career (opens another site).

For employers

With ad numbers steady, competition for staff is likely to be similar to a year ago. The occupation tables show where that differs for the roles you hire.

Job ads are not all jobs: many roles are filled without an online ad. See the limits of the data.

Get the monthly briefing

The headline numbers for Australia and each state, once a month when new data is out.

Sources and licences

Online job ads: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index (opens another site), September 2026 data, released 21 October 2026. © Commonwealth of Australia, used under CC BY 4.0 (opens another site). Figures rounded; changes, shares and descriptions by Career Calling Insights.

Labour force: Australian Bureau of Statistics (September 2026) 'Table 001. Labour force status by Sex, Australia - Trend, Seasonally adjusted and Original' and 'Table 010. Labour force status by Sex, State and Territory - Trend, Seasonally adjusted and Original' [time series spreadsheets], Labour Force, Australia (opens another site), released 15 October 2026, accessed 8 November 2026. Used under CC BY 4.0 (opens another site). Figures rounded; changes and descriptions by Career Calling Insights.

Neither publisher endorses this site. How the numbers are turned into words: methodology. Spotted an error? Tell us.