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Job market report

Job markets in South Australia

Online job ads, unemployment and pay across South Australia's 4 job market areas, from Jobs and Skills Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It also sets estimated employment by occupation in the rest of South Australia beside Greater Adelaide. Each area has its own full report.

Latest data
JSA September 2026; ABS Regional Labour Force September 2026; JSA NERO September 2026; ABS 2023 to 2025
Updated
28 October 2026
Areas
4 job market areas

Key findings

  1. Growing: online job ads across South Australia were up 2.6% on a year earlier, from 14,295 to 14,668 a month in the three months to September 2026.[1][2]

    Section 1: Job ads across South Australia →
  2. Online job ads grew fastest in Outback South Australia (up 13.1%), comparing the three months to September 2026 with a year earlier.[1]

    Section 3: Job market areas in South Australia →
  3. Unemployment was highest in Outback South Australia (5.6%) and the Barossa - Yorke - Mid North (4.2%) in September 2026 (ABS modelled estimates).[3][4]

    Section 2: Unemployment in South Australia, September 2026 →
  4. Unemployment was lowest in South East South Australia (3.6%) and Greater Adelaide (3.9%) in September 2026 (ABS modelled estimates).[3][4]

    Section 2: Unemployment in South Australia, September 2026 →

1 Job ads across South Australia

Jobs and Skills Australia's Internet Vacancy Index is a monthly count of online job ads, compiled from SEEK, CareerOne and Workforce Australia. Regional figures are three-month averages. It is not a count of ViewJobs' own ads. This page adds up the 4 areas' figures.

South Australia
+2.6%
14,668 ads a month[1][2]
Australia
+0.6%
the sum of every area[1][2]
Areas with more ads
3
of 4; 0 had fewer[1]

Online job ads, the three months to September 2026 against a year earlier. An area counts as more or fewer when its change shows as more than 0.0%.

Figure 1.1: Online job ads a month, South AustraliaThree-month average, the sum of its 4 areas, October 2023 to September 2026.
12k13k14k15k16kJan 2024Sep 2024May 2025Jan 2026Sep 2026South AustraliaSouth Australia, Sep 2026: 14,66814,668

Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia[1]; ViewJobs analysis[2].

Show the numbers
Online job ads a month, South Australia
MonthOnline job ads a month
October 202315,431
November 202314,950
December 202313,148
January 202413,168
February 202413,320
March 202414,527
April 202414,090
May 202414,173
June 202413,858
July 202413,706
August 202413,567
September 202414,094
October 202414,590
November 202414,224
December 202412,499
January 202512,505
February 202512,446
March 202514,034
April 202513,329
May 202513,707
June 202513,452
July 202514,034
August 202513,773
September 202514,295
October 202514,364
November 202514,116
December 202512,467
January 202612,486
February 202612,793
March 202614,456
April 202614,033
May 202613,963
June 202613,679
July 202614,058
August 202614,145
September 202614,668

2 Unemployment in South Australia, September 2026

South Australia's unemployment rate was 4.0% in September 2026, against 4.3% a year earlier and 4.6% across Australia (ABS modelled estimates).[3][4] Each area's rate follows, with its change in points on a year earlier.

Figure 2.1: Unemployment rate by area, South Australia, September 2026The ABS's modelled estimates for September 2026. Select an area for its report.

Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3]; ViewJobs analysis[4].

Show the numbers
Unemployment rate by area, South Australia, September 2026
AreaUnemployment, September 2026Change on a year earlier
Outback South Australia5.6%−0.5 pts
Barossa - Yorke - Mid North4.2%−0.1 pts
Greater Adelaide3.9%−0.3 pts
South East South Australia3.6%−0.2 pts
Figure 2.2: Unemployment rate by area, South Australia, January 2019 to September 2026Monthly unemployment rate since January 2019, every area on the same scale.

Each chart runs from 2% at its baseline to 10% at its top.

Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3]; ViewJobs analysis[4].

Show the numbers
Unemployment rate by area, South Australia, January 2019 to September 2026
MonthBarossa - Yorke - Mid NorthOutback South AustraliaSouth East South AustraliaGreater Adelaide
January 20197.4%7.2%5.8%6.8%
February 20196.8%7.0%5.6%6.1%
March 20197.1%6.9%5.5%6.1%
April 20197.0%7.1%5.6%6.1%
May 20196.5%6.6%5.0%5.5%
June 20196.8%6.9%5.3%5.8%
July 20197.6%7.6%6.0%6.9%
August 20197.9%7.8%5.9%7.2%
September 20196.8%7.0%5.2%6.0%
October 20196.5%7.0%5.3%6.0%
November 20196.5%7.1%5.3%6.2%
December 20196.2%7.0%5.1%6.0%
January 20206.9%7.7%5.4%5.9%
February 20206.9%7.8%5.7%6.1%
March 20207.1%7.9%6.0%6.4%
April 20207.3%7.9%6.2%7.2%
May 20207.6%8.1%6.4%7.8%
June 20207.9%8.3%7.1%8.6%
July 20207.2%7.9%6.5%8.1%
August 20207.1%7.8%6.4%7.8%
September 20206.3%7.2%5.7%6.7%
October 20206.4%7.6%5.9%6.8%
November 20206.2%7.2%5.2%6.2%
December 20205.8%7.1%5.2%6.3%
January 20217.2%8.1%6.3%7.6%
February 20216.7%7.8%5.8%7.4%
March 20216.3%7.3%5.3%6.7%
April 20215.8%6.8%5.0%6.0%
May 20215.8%6.7%5.0%5.8%
June 20215.2%6.3%4.4%5.2%
July 20214.8%5.9%4.1%4.7%
August 20214.6%5.7%4.1%4.7%
September 20214.3%5.6%3.7%5.0%
October 20214.4%5.8%3.7%5.2%
November 20213.9%4.9%3.5%4.6%
December 20213.6%4.8%3.1%4.0%
January 20225.1%6.4%4.4%5.4%
February 20225.0%6.7%4.4%5.5%
March 20224.9%6.5%4.2%5.2%
April 20224.5%6.1%3.8%4.7%
May 20224.5%5.9%4.0%4.6%
June 20224.4%5.8%3.7%4.2%
July 20224.2%5.6%3.6%4.1%
August 20224.1%5.3%3.4%3.9%
September 20224.0%5.5%3.7%4.1%
October 20223.9%5.3%3.5%3.9%
November 20224.0%5.3%3.3%3.9%
December 20224.2%5.3%3.4%3.8%
January 20234.4%6.0%4.1%4.6%
February 20234.2%5.7%3.9%4.2%
March 20233.9%5.4%3.6%3.9%
April 20234.4%5.8%3.7%4.4%
May 20234.0%5.3%3.5%3.9%
June 20234.2%5.4%3.7%4.0%
July 20233.9%5.2%3.5%4.1%
August 20233.7%4.8%3.1%3.5%
September 20233.5%4.6%3.2%3.4%
October 20233.5%4.9%3.1%3.4%
November 20233.7%4.9%3.4%3.7%
December 20234.0%5.3%3.3%3.9%
January 20244.7%6.0%4.0%4.6%
February 20243.7%4.9%3.0%3.6%
March 20244.3%5.7%3.5%4.0%
April 20244.4%5.8%3.7%4.3%
May 20244.0%5.4%3.5%3.8%
June 20244.0%5.3%3.4%3.7%
July 20244.4%6.1%3.8%4.4%
August 20243.9%5.2%3.2%3.6%
September 20244.1%5.6%3.5%4.0%
October 20244.2%5.6%3.5%3.9%
November 20243.7%5.3%3.3%3.6%
December 20244.2%5.7%3.6%4.1%
January 20254.8%6.5%4.1%4.7%
February 20254.5%5.8%3.7%4.0%
March 20254.4%5.8%3.6%4.1%
April 20254.5%5.9%3.7%4.0%
May 20254.3%5.8%3.8%4.2%
June 20254.5%6.0%3.8%4.3%
July 20254.5%6.1%3.7%4.3%
August 20254.8%6.4%4.1%4.6%
September 20254.3%6.1%3.8%4.2%
October 20254.1%6.0%3.6%4.0%
November 20253.9%5.5%3.3%3.6%
December 20253.8%5.4%3.2%3.7%
January 20264.3%6.0%3.5%4.0%
February 20264.5%6.1%3.7%4.2%
March 20264.3%6.0%3.5%4.0%
April 20264.6%6.4%3.9%4.4%
May 20264.5%6.0%3.7%4.1%
June 20264.3%6.1%3.8%4.2%
July 20264.3%6.1%3.6%4.1%
August 20264.6%6.3%3.9%4.5%
September 20264.2%5.6%3.6%3.9%
Table 2.1: Unemployment by area, September 2026Highest first. Areas tied at the figure shown share a rank.

Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3]; ViewJobs analysis[4].

3 Job market areas in South Australia

Every job market area in South Australia, with its online job ads and its latest ABS figures. Select an area for its report.

Figure 3.1: Online job ads, change on a year ago, by area, South AustraliaThe three months to September 2026 against a year earlier. Select an area for its report.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Show the numbers
Online job ads, change on a year ago, by area, South Australia
AreaAds a month, September 2026Change on a year ago
Outback South Australia709+13.1%
South East South Australia974+6.4%
Greater Adelaide12,437+1.9%
Barossa - Yorke - Mid North5480.0%
Table 3.1: Job market areas in South AustraliaOnline job ads are the three months to September 2026; unemployment is the ABS's modelled estimate for September 2026; income and population are the latest year for each.Scroll the table sideways for every column.
AreaAds a month, September 2026Change on a year agoMedian employee income, 2023Unemployment, September 2026Population, 2025
Barossa - Yorke - Mid North5480.0%$52,5994.2%120,651
Outback South Australia709+13.1%$55,8795.6%85,925
South East South Australia974+6.4%$49,9683.6%205,074
Greater Adelaide12,437+1.9%$60,0003.9%1,491,015

Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia[1]; Australian Bureau of Statistics[3]; ViewJobs analysis[4]; Australian Bureau of Statistics[5].

4 Employment by occupation: Greater Adelaide and the rest of South Australia

Estimated employment by occupation in Greater Adelaide and the rest of South Australia, from Jobs and Skills Australia's monthly nowcast, to September 2026.

Table 4.1: Occupations growing fastest in the rest of South AustraliaThe 10 largest rises in estimated employment, September 2026 on September 2025, among occupations with at least 1,000 people employed in the rest of South Australia, beside the same occupation in Greater Adelaide.Scroll the table sideways for every column.
OccupationPeople employed, Rest of South Australia, September 2026Change, Rest of South AustraliaChange, Greater Adelaide
Delivery Drivers1,081+18.1%+5.9%
Enrolled and Mothercraft Nurses1,139+14.2%+17.7%
Livestock Farmers6,346+12.6%+7.2%
Shelf Fillers1,638+12.0%+10.2%
Kitchenhands2,294+10.1%+5.8%
General Clerks3,712+9.4%+10.4%
Storepersons1,220+8.9%+14.1%
Aged and Disabled Carers6,887+7.8%+10.8%
Packers1,345+6.8%+3.9%
Mixed Crop and Livestock Farmers7,544+6.6%+4.9%

Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia[6]; ViewJobs[7].

Note: Jobs and Skills Australia's nowcast is experimental: its figures are model estimates of the people employed in each occupation, not a count of them, and each monthly release revises the months before it.

5 Projected employment to 2035

Employment in South Australia is projected to grow 9.7% to May 2035 (from 969,293 to 1,063,003).[8]

6 Quick answers

Short answers to the questions people ask about South Australia's job markets, each with its period and source.

How many jobs are advertised in South Australia?

14,668 online job ads a month were placed across South Australia, on average, in the three months to September 2026.

Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia[1]; ViewJobs analysis[2].

Is South Australia's job market growing or shrinking?

Growing: online job ads across South Australia were up 2.6% on a year earlier, from 14,295 to 14,668 a month in the three months to September 2026.

Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia[1]; ViewJobs analysis[2].

Where are job ads growing fastest in South Australia?

Online job ads grew fastest in Outback South Australia (up 13.1%), comparing the three months to September 2026 with a year earlier.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].

Where is unemployment highest in South Australia?

Unemployment was highest in Outback South Australia (5.6%) and the Barossa - Yorke - Mid North (4.2%) in September 2026 (ABS modelled estimates).

Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3]; ViewJobs analysis[4].

Where is unemployment lowest in South Australia?

Unemployment was lowest in South East South Australia (3.6%) and Greater Adelaide (3.9%) in September 2026 (ABS modelled estimates).

Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3]; ViewJobs analysis[4].

Which occupations are growing fastest in the rest of South Australia?

Delivery Drivers grew fastest in the rest of South Australia among occupations with at least 1,000 people employed there, up 18.1% from September 2025 to an estimated 1,081 people employed in September 2026, against up 5.9% in Greater Adelaide. Next were Enrolled and Mothercraft Nurses (up 14.2%) and Livestock Farmers (up 12.6%). These are Jobs and Skills Australia's experimental nowcast estimates.

Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia[6]; ViewJobs[7].

7 Notes and method

What the figures count, where they come from, and the rules these pages apply to them.

The areas
The reports cover 50 job market areas, 42 regional ABS regions and the eight capital cities: the areas Jobs and Skills Australia publishes online job ads for. Each has its own report.
Online job ads
Jobs and Skills Australia's Internet Vacancy Index is a monthly count of online job ads, compiled from SEEK, CareerOne and Workforce Australia. Regional figures are three-month averages. It is not a count of ViewJobs' own ads. It counts ads, not jobs filled, by occupation and area.
State and national ads
These pages read the index's series by area, so a state or national figure here is the sum of its areas, read at the same month for every area and marked as ViewJobs analysis. It can differ from the state and national totals Jobs and Skills Australia publishes separately.[2]
The map
Areas are shaded by their change in online job ads on a year earlier. The shades are set from the spread of changes among the areas shown, so one change can take a different shade on a state page and on the national map. The unemployment map shades each area by its rate in the latest month, set the same way.
Small numbers and ties
An area with fewer than 5 ads a month, now or a year earlier, is shown as "fewer than 5" and is not shaded or ranked. Areas tied at the figure shown share a rank.
Unemployment
Monthly unemployment, participation and employment are the ABS's Regional Labour Force modelled estimates: the ABS combines its Labour Force Survey with administrative data to estimate each labour market region. They are in original terms, not seasonally adjusted, so every change here compares a month with the same month a year earlier. The ABS's labour market regions follow the 2011 boundaries of its SA4 regions, which differ slightly from today's in a few areas. The rates for South Australia, Greater Adelaide and Australia are sums of the ABS's regions, with rates worked out from the sums.[4]
ABS figures
The latest ABS income figures here are for the year to 30 June 2023; population counts are more recent. Every figure shows its year.
Employment by occupation
Jobs and Skills Australia's nowcast is experimental: its figures are model estimates of the people employed in each occupation, not a count of them, and each monthly release revises the months before it. Occupations are ANZSCO unit groups, named as Jobs and Skills Australia publishes them. The table lists rises only: the largest on a year earlier among occupations with at least 1,000 people employed in the rest of South Australia in the newest month. Capital city, state and national figures are sums of SA4 regions. Rest-of-state figures are the state's SA4 regions outside its capital city, summed.[6][7]
Employment projections
Jobs and Skills Australia's Employment Projections are model estimates of the people employed in each occupation and in each state and territory, from a May baseline to five and ten years on.[8]

8 References

Every figure on this page points at one of these entries.

  1. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, September 2026. jobsandskills.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-10/internet_vacancies_anzsco2_occupations_gccsa_and_sa4_regions_-_september_2026.xlsx. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Accessed 25 October 2026.
  2. ViewJobs, ViewJobs analysis of the Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index, September 2026. jobsandskills.gov.au/data/internet-vacancy-index. State and national figures are the sum of the ABS areas in Jobs and Skills Australia's regional series.
  3. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional Labour Force, September 2026. abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/regional-labour-force/sep-2026/MLF1.xlsx. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Accessed 25 October 2026.
  4. ViewJobs, ViewJobs analysis of the Australian Bureau of Statistics Regional Labour Force, September 2026. abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/regional-labour-force/latest-release. Capital city, state and national figures are sums of the ABS's modelled labour market regions, with rates worked out from the sums.
  5. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Data by Region, v1.6.0. dbr.abs.gov.au. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Accessed 25 October 2026.
  6. Jobs and Skills Australia, Nowcast of Employment by Region and Occupation, September 2026. jobsandskills.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-10/2026-09_nero.zip. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Accessed 27 October 2026. Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Nowcast of Employment by Region and Occupation (NERO), September 2026, CC BY 4.0. Experimental estimates.
  7. ViewJobs, ViewJobs analysis of the Jobs and Skills Australia Nowcast of Employment by Region and Occupation, September 2026. jobsandskills.gov.au/data/nero. Capital city, state and national figures are sums of SA4 regions. Rest-of-state figures are the state's SA4 regions outside its capital city, summed.
  8. Jobs and Skills Australia, Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035. jobsandskills.gov.au/data/employment-projections. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Accessed 28 October 2026. Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035, CC BY 4.0. Projections are model estimates.

Cite this report

ViewJobs (2026). Job markets in South Australia, data to September 2026. https://www.viewjobs.com.au/job-market/sa

Licence

Contains data from Jobs and Skills Australia, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, used under CC BY 4.0. ViewJobs has charted the data and, where marked as ViewJobs analysis, added areas together.

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