How many jobs are advertised in Western Australia?
28,470 online job ads a month were placed across Western Australia, on average, in the three months to September 2026.
Job market report
Job markets in Western Australia
Online job ads, unemployment and pay across Western Australia's 5 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 Western Australia beside Greater Perth. 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
- 5 job market areas
- Sources
- JSA and ABS
Key findings
Growing: online job ads across Western Australia were up 7.5% on a year earlier, from 26,477 to 28,470 a month in the three months to September 2026.[1][2]
Section 1: Job ads across Western Australia →Online job ads grew fastest in Outback WA (south), up 10.0%, and Greater Perth, up 8.6%, comparing the three months to September 2026 with a year earlier.[1]
Section 3: Job market areas in Western Australia →Unemployment was highest in Outback WA (north and south), 4.9%, and Greater Perth, 4.3%, in September 2026 (ABS modelled estimates).[3][4]
Section 2: Unemployment in Western Australia, September 2026 →Unemployment was lowest in the Wheatbelt (3.1%) and Bunbury (3.4%) in September 2026 (ABS modelled estimates).[3][4]
Section 2: Unemployment in Western Australia, September 2026 →
1 Job ads across Western 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 5 areas' figures.
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%.
Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia[1]; ViewJobs analysis[2].
Show the numbers
| Month | Online job ads a month |
|---|---|
| October 2023 | 33,474 |
| November 2023 | 32,160 |
| December 2023 | 28,955 |
| January 2024 | 28,523 |
| February 2024 | 28,462 |
| March 2024 | 30,728 |
| April 2024 | 29,406 |
| May 2024 | 29,505 |
| June 2024 | 28,413 |
| July 2024 | 28,141 |
| August 2024 | 27,421 |
| September 2024 | 27,934 |
| October 2024 | 28,735 |
| November 2024 | 27,448 |
| December 2024 | 24,382 |
| January 2025 | 23,738 |
| February 2025 | 23,904 |
| March 2025 | 26,781 |
| April 2025 | 25,415 |
| May 2025 | 25,783 |
| June 2025 | 25,006 |
| July 2025 | 26,009 |
| August 2025 | 25,713 |
| September 2025 | 26,477 |
| October 2025 | 26,833 |
| November 2025 | 26,215 |
| December 2025 | 23,685 |
| January 2026 | 23,709 |
| February 2026 | 24,462 |
| March 2026 | 27,551 |
| April 2026 | 26,250 |
| May 2026 | 26,183 |
| June 2026 | 25,425 |
| July 2026 | 26,759 |
| August 2026 | 27,442 |
| September 2026 | 28,470 |
2 Unemployment in Western Australia, September 2026
Western Australia's unemployment rate was 4.2% 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.
- Under 3.3%
- 3.3%–3.6%
- 3.6%–4.5%
- 4.5% and over
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3]; ViewJobs analysis[4].
Show the numbers
| Area | Unemployment, September 2026 | Change on a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Outback WA (north) | 4.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Outback WA (south) | 4.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Greater Perth | 4.3% | −0.1 pts |
| Bunbury | 3.4% | 0.0 pts |
| Wheatbelt | 3.1% | −0.2 pts |
Each chart runs from 2% at its baseline to 10% at its top.
- Bunbury
3.4% · about the same
- Wheatbelt
3.1% · down 0.2 points
- Outback WA (north)
4.9% · up 0.1 points
- Outback WA (south)
4.9% · up 0.1 points
- Greater Perth
4.3% · down 0.1 points
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3]; ViewJobs analysis[4].
Show the numbers
| Month | Bunbury | Wheatbelt | Outback WA (north and south) | Greater Perth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2019 | 6.6% | 5.0% | 6.4% | 7.6% |
| February 2019 | 5.8% | 4.4% | 5.8% | 6.5% |
| March 2019 | 5.7% | 4.4% | 5.7% | 6.7% |
| April 2019 | 5.5% | 4.1% | 5.4% | 6.3% |
| May 2019 | 5.2% | 3.9% | 5.4% | 6.1% |
| June 2019 | 4.6% | 3.6% | 4.8% | 5.5% |
| July 2019 | 5.1% | 3.9% | 5.1% | 6.0% |
| August 2019 | 5.4% | 4.0% | 5.4% | 5.8% |
| September 2019 | 5.1% | 4.1% | 5.3% | 5.8% |
| October 2019 | 5.0% | 3.3% | 5.3% | 5.5% |
| November 2019 | 4.9% | 4.1% | 5.5% | 5.5% |
| December 2019 | 4.8% | 3.8% | 5.3% | 5.3% |
| January 2020 | 6.0% | 4.3% | 6.3% | 6.4% |
| February 2020 | 4.9% | 3.9% | 5.9% | 5.6% |
| March 2020 | 5.5% | 4.2% | 6.0% | 6.0% |
| April 2020 | 5.3% | 4.0% | 5.5% | 6.4% |
| May 2020 | 6.8% | 4.4% | 5.9% | 8.1% |
| June 2020 | 6.4% | 4.4% | 6.2% | 8.5% |
| July 2020 | 6.3% | 4.3% | 5.9% | 8.5% |
| August 2020 | 5.7% | 4.0% | 5.5% | 7.2% |
| September 2020 | 5.3% | 3.8% | 5.3% | 7.0% |
| October 2020 | 4.6% | 3.6% | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| November 2020 | 4.8% | 3.4% | 5.0% | 6.5% |
| December 2020 | 4.5% | 3.4% | 5.1% | 6.4% |
| January 2021 | 5.2% | 4.1% | 5.7% | 7.3% |
| February 2021 | 5.5% | 4.0% | 5.6% | 6.7% |
| March 2021 | 4.3% | 3.5% | 5.0% | 5.5% |
| April 2021 | 4.3% | 3.6% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
| May 2021 | 4.0% | 3.1% | 4.9% | 4.7% |
| June 2021 | 4.0% | 3.3% | 4.9% | 5.0% |
| July 2021 | 3.9% | 3.2% | 4.7% | 4.7% |
| August 2021 | 3.6% | 3.2% | 4.6% | 4.7% |
| September 2021 | 3.5% | 2.8% | 4.6% | 4.2% |
| October 2021 | 3.2% | 2.5% | 4.2% | 4.0% |
| November 2021 | 3.1% | 2.8% | 4.3% | 3.8% |
| December 2021 | 2.7% | 2.7% | 4.2% | 3.4% |
| January 2022 | 3.5% | 2.7% | 4.7% | 4.2% |
| February 2022 | 3.7% | 3.0% | 5.0% | 4.3% |
| March 2022 | 3.1% | 2.5% | 4.3% | 3.7% |
| April 2022 | 2.6% | 2.5% | 3.9% | 3.0% |
| May 2022 | 2.7% | 2.3% | 3.9% | 3.2% |
| June 2022 | 2.9% | 2.7% | 4.1% | 3.3% |
| July 2022 | 2.7% | 2.6% | 3.9% | 3.3% |
| August 2022 | 2.7% | 2.5% | 4.1% | 3.3% |
| September 2022 | 2.9% | 2.8% | 4.1% | 3.5% |
| October 2022 | 2.9% | 2.6% | 4.4% | 3.5% |
| November 2022 | 2.5% | 2.5% | 4.2% | 3.5% |
| December 2022 | 3.1% | 2.5% | 4.3% | 3.4% |
| January 2023 | 3.1% | 3.0% | 5.0% | 4.0% |
| February 2023 | 3.3% | 3.3% | 5.1% | 4.2% |
| March 2023 | 2.8% | 2.6% | 4.6% | 3.6% |
| April 2023 | 2.8% | 2.7% | 4.5% | 3.7% |
| May 2023 | 2.9% | 2.5% | 4.3% | 3.5% |
| June 2023 | 2.8% | 2.7% | 4.4% | 3.6% |
| July 2023 | 2.7% | 2.4% | 4.0% | 3.3% |
| August 2023 | 3.1% | 3.0% | 4.7% | 3.8% |
| September 2023 | 2.7% | 2.6% | 4.2% | 3.3% |
| October 2023 | 2.7% | 2.8% | 4.5% | 3.7% |
| November 2023 | 3.0% | 2.6% | 4.4% | 3.5% |
| December 2023 | 3.0% | 2.8% | 4.6% | 4.0% |
| January 2024 | 3.7% | 3.3% | 5.3% | 4.9% |
| February 2024 | 3.2% | 3.1% | 4.9% | 3.8% |
| March 2024 | 2.8% | 2.8% | 4.2% | 3.6% |
| April 2024 | 3.1% | 2.9% | 4.3% | 4.0% |
| May 2024 | 2.7% | 2.8% | 4.1% | 3.5% |
| June 2024 | 2.9% | 2.7% | 4.2% | 3.8% |
| July 2024 | 3.2% | 2.7% | 4.0% | 3.6% |
| August 2024 | 3.2% | 3.1% | 4.5% | 4.1% |
| September 2024 | 2.9% | 2.7% | 4.2% | 3.6% |
| October 2024 | 3.2% | 2.9% | 4.4% | 4.0% |
| November 2024 | 2.7% | 2.5% | 3.6% | 3.0% |
| December 2024 | 2.5% | 2.6% | 3.9% | 3.1% |
| January 2025 | 3.4% | 3.2% | 4.7% | 4.1% |
| February 2025 | 3.0% | 3.0% | 4.3% | 3.6% |
| March 2025 | 3.3% | 3.0% | 4.4% | 3.8% |
| April 2025 | 3.3% | 3.2% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| May 2025 | 3.0% | 2.9% | 4.3% | 3.8% |
| June 2025 | 3.5% | 3.2% | 4.4% | 4.1% |
| July 2025 | 3.3% | 3.0% | 4.5% | 4.1% |
| August 2025 | 3.2% | 3.2% | 4.6% | 4.0% |
| September 2025 | 3.4% | 3.3% | 4.8% | 4.4% |
| October 2025 | 3.3% | 3.0% | 4.8% | 4.1% |
| November 2025 | 3.6% | 3.2% | 5.0% | 4.4% |
| December 2025 | 2.8% | 2.8% | 4.4% | 3.7% |
| January 2026 | 3.0% | 3.1% | 4.6% | 3.7% |
| February 2026 | 3.8% | 3.4% | 5.1% | 4.4% |
| March 2026 | 3.6% | 3.2% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| April 2026 | 3.3% | 3.2% | 5.0% | 4.4% |
| May 2026 | 3.5% | 3.0% | 5.3% | 4.6% |
| June 2026 | 3.2% | 3.2% | 5.1% | 4.2% |
| July 2026 | 3.4% | 3.2% | 5.1% | 4.2% |
| August 2026 | 3.6% | 3.5% | 5.4% | 4.7% |
| September 2026 | 3.4% | 3.1% | 4.9% | 4.3% |
| Rank | Area | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outback WA (north and south) | 4.9% |
| 2 | Greater Perth | 4.3% |
| 3 | Bunbury | 3.4% |
| 4 | Wheatbelt | 3.1% |
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics[3]; ViewJobs analysis[4].
3 Job market areas in Western Australia
Every job market area in Western Australia, with its online job ads and its latest ABS figures. Select an area for its report.
- Down more than 10%
- Down 5–10%
- Down 2–5%
- About the same (±2%)
- Up 2–5%
- Up 5–10%
- Up more than 10%
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].
Show the numbers
| Area | Ads a month, September 2026 | Change on a year ago |
|---|---|---|
| Outback WA (south) | 1,565 | +10.0% |
| Greater Perth | 23,190 | +8.6% |
| Bunbury | 1,284 | +3.0% |
| Outback WA (north) | 1,730 | −0.2% |
| Wheatbelt | 701 | −1.4% |
| Area | Ads a month, September 2026 | Change on a year ago | Median employee income, 2023 | Unemployment, September 2026 | Population, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bunbury | 1,284 | +3.0% | $57,451 | 3.4% | 210,962 |
| Wheatbelt | 701 | −1.4% | $53,742 | 3.1% | 149,617 |
| Outback WA (north) | 1,730 | −0.2% | $77,000 | 4.9% | 102,732 |
| Outback WA (south) | 1,565 | +10.0% | $62,908 | 4.9% | 128,306 |
| Greater Perth | 23,190 | +8.6% | $66,543 | 4.3% | 2,452,765 |
Sources: Jobs and Skills Australia[1]; Australian Bureau of Statistics[3]; ViewJobs analysis[4]; Australian Bureau of Statistics[5].
4 Employment by occupation: Greater Perth and the rest of Western Australia
Estimated employment by occupation in Greater Perth and the rest of Western Australia, from Jobs and Skills Australia's monthly nowcast, to September 2026.
| Occupation | People employed, Rest of Western Australia, September 2026 | Change, Rest of Western Australia | Change, Greater Perth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Assistants | 1,018 | +77.0% | +21.0% |
| Office Managers | 3,977 | +19.4% | +7.8% |
| Welfare, Recreation and Community Arts Workers | 1,001 | +19.2% | +2.3% |
| Handypersons | 1,450 | +17.9% | +14.6% |
| Hairdressers | 1,497 | +17.4% | +11.6% |
| Cooks | 1,260 | +13.9% | +11.3% |
| Supply, Distribution and Procurement Managers | 1,302 | +13.7% | +4.0% |
| Other Stationary Plant Operators | 2,046 | +11.7% | +6.4% |
| Transport and Despatch Clerks | 1,455 | +11.4% | −0.7% |
| Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks | 2,548 | +11.3% | +9.5% |
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 Western Australia is projected to grow 13.6% to May 2035 (from 1,673,963 to 1,901,364).[8]
6 Quick answers
Short answers to the questions people ask about Western Australia's job markets, each with its period and source.
Is Western Australia's job market growing or shrinking?
Growing: online job ads across Western Australia were up 7.5% on a year earlier, from 26,477 to 28,470 a month in the three months to September 2026.
Where are job ads growing fastest in Western Australia?
Online job ads grew fastest in Outback WA (south), up 10.0%, and Greater Perth, up 8.6%, comparing the three months to September 2026 with a year earlier.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].
Where are job ads falling in Western Australia?
Online job ads fell most in the Wheatbelt, down 1.4%, and Outback WA (north), down 0.2%, comparing the three months to September 2026 with a year earlier.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia[1].
Where is unemployment highest in Western Australia?
Unemployment was highest in Outback WA (north and south), 4.9%, and Greater Perth, 4.3%, in September 2026 (ABS modelled estimates).
Where is unemployment lowest in Western Australia?
Unemployment was lowest in the Wheatbelt (3.1%) and Bunbury (3.4%) in September 2026 (ABS modelled estimates).
Which occupations are growing fastest in the rest of Western Australia?
Personal Assistants grew fastest in the rest of Western Australia among occupations with at least 1,000 people employed there, up 77.0% from September 2025 to an estimated 1,018 people employed in September 2026, against up 21.0% in Greater Perth. Next were Office Managers (up 19.4%) and Welfare, Recreation and Community Arts Workers (up 19.2%). These are Jobs and Skills Australia's experimental nowcast estimates.
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 Western Australia, Greater Perth and Australia are sums of the ABS's regions, with rates worked out from the sums.[4] Labour force figures for Outback WA (north) and Outback WA (south) cover the whole of Outback WA: the ABS models north and south together.
- 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 Western 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Data by Region, v1.6.0. dbr.abs.gov.au. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Accessed 25 October 2026.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Western Australia, data to September 2026. https://www.viewjobs.com.au/job-market/wa
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.
