Job advertisements on the internet declined by a modest 0.1 per cent in October, official figures show.
The Department of Employment's internet vacancy index fell to a seasonally adjusted 58.3 points in the month to be 17.3 per cent lower than a year ago.
Five of the eight occupational groups monitored by the department fell in October.
The largest declines of 1.2 per cent were seen for both sales workers and professionals.
However, demand for machinery operators and drivers rose two per cent.
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Falls in job ads in October were recorded in Queensland (down 3.9 per cent), Tasmania (7.2 per cent) and the Northern Territory (1.5 per cent).
Ads rose in all other states, led by a 2.6 per cent increase in the ACT.
Over the year, job ads fell in all states and territories, led by a 31.4 per cent drop in Western Australia and a 24.4 per cent decline in Queensland.
