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Creation Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2011 GMT

Seek Job Market Indicator for 2011

LEADING JOB MARKET INDICATOR POINTS TO
POSITIVE START TO 2011

· Strong growth in new job ads in December points to a solid start for the labour
market in Q1 2011.
· New job ads up 4.8% in December, the strongest result since January 2010.
· Compared to December 2009, the number of new job ads is up 31.4% and SEEK
Employment Index is up 27.2%.
· Job ads surged in Western Australia by 12% in December with continued growth
across other states.
· Impact of floods on Queensland jobs market unknown at this stage.
Steady growth in the employment market during 2010 accelerated in December, with the latest
figures from SEEK showing the number of new job ads placed surged by 4.8% for the month
to finish the year 31.4% higher than in December 2009. SEEK's data is the leading indicator
on the jobs market as it measures the flow of new jobs ads and applications and typically leads
other employment indicators.

Over the three months to December 2010, the number of new job ads placed on SEEK rose
by 8.5%. Western Australia continued to lead the national jobs market with 12% growth, with
solid increases in other states as well.

The SEEK Employment Index (SEI), the ratio of new job ads placed with SEEK during the month to the
number of applications for those jobs also rose by 4.8% in December and rose in all major states:
Western Australia up 8.1%, New South Wales up 6.2%, Victoria up 3.5 %, Queensland up 3.2% and
South Australia up 1.5%. These results are directly attributed to a strong growth in the number of new
job ads.

"We saw a strong finish in the number of new job ads placed across the country during the month of
December, reflecting the solid state of the Australian jobs market," said SEEK Managing Director Joe
Powell.

"The state of the employment market in the first quarter of the year typically sets the scene for the year
ahead. December's figures give us a good base to see where the market will head in 2011."

"If the consistent growth seen throughout 2010 continues, it's possible the labour market may continue to
tighten in the year ahead. This means there are more job opportunities out there for jobseekers, which
may make it harder for employers to fill positions. However, with the last two weeks of January typically
the busiest time of the year when it comes to job applications, now is the opportune time for employers to
recruit new staff."

"Whilst the number of job ads is increasing across a range of industries, it is worth noting the accelerated
demand for skilled workers in the resources sector. In December, this particularly applied in mining states
of Western Australia and Queensland, where economists predict that mining projects will be delayed by
skills shortages if the government doesn't review its policy on general skilled migration."

"The impact of the Queensland flood disaster on the jobs market in the state will be particularly felt over
the first few months of the year. While the impact on the mining industry is expected to be significant, we
also expect to see growth in jobs in building and infrastructure as the recovery takes place."

"The resources boom continues in Western Australia where there are currently more than 10,700 mining
jobs on SEEK."

"December figures also support the gradual recovery of the retail industry, despite the current debate
about the impact of online retail stores on the Australia industry. The number of retail jobs on SEEK in
December was 9.2% higher than a year ago."

SEEK New Job Ad Index
The number of new job ads placed in the month rose 4.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis (refer Figure 1),
the strongest growth seen since January 2010. The growth in the number of new job ads is currently
31.4% higher than the same time last year. New jobs ads surged in Western Australia up 12%, followed
by solid increases in Victoria (4.9%), South Australia (3.8%), Queensland (3.6%), Tasmania (4.7%) and
New South Wales (2.8%).

Figure 1. SEEK New Job Ads Index (Average 2002-04 = 100), seasonally adjusted
SEEK Employment Index

The SEEK Employment Index, the ratio of new job ads placed with SEEK during the month to the
number of applications for those jobs, increased by 4.8% in December (refer Figure 2). The SEI was
27.2% higher than in December 2009, with strong growth in Western Australia (8.1%), New South Wales
(6.2%), Victoria (3.5%), Queensland (3.2%) and South Australia (1.5%).

Joe Powell said: "SEI data indicates that it is getting harder to find candidates in Western Australia and
Queensland in particular. While the jobs market remains soft compared to its previous peak in 2007,
growth is heading in the right direction."

Figure 2. SEEK Employment Index (Average 2002-04 = 100), seasonally adjusted
Job Applications

New job applications were flat in December, with no growth on the November figure. This is expected to
adjust in January, which is traditionally the busiest time of the year for job applications, to deliver a more
balanced ratio of applications compared to the number of new job ads.

"Positions which require skilled and educated employees were the most in-demand throughout 2010. For
the month of December, the hardest to fill positions included research and fellowship posts, nursing
managers, specialists in insurance and superannuation law, urban designers and planners, and specialists in
oil and gas exploration and geosciences." said Joe Powell.

"Jobs for pickers and packers in the manufacturing sector again topped the list of the most competitive
roles this month, meaning it is hardest for jobseekers to find work in this field. Jobs for call centre
operations, assistant accountants, retail assistants and kitchen hands were also extremely competitive in
December."

December's top five most sought after employees:
1. Education & Training - Research & Fellowships
2. Healthcare & Medical - Nursing Management roles
3. Legal - Insurance & Superannuation Law roles
4. Design & Architecture - Urban Design & Planning roles
5. Mining, Resources & Energy - Oil & Gas Exploration & Geoscience roles

December's top five most competitive occupations:
1. Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics - Pickers & Packers
2. Call Centre & Customer Service - Call Centre Operators
3. Accounting - Assistant Accountants
4. Retail & Consumer Prods. - Retail Assistants
5. Hospitality & Tourism - Kitchen & Sandwich Hands

About SEEK
SEEK enjoys a formidable lead over its nearest competitors in Australia & New Zealand in terms of both job ad and jobseeker
numbers. In Australia, seek.com.au hosts approximately 60 per cent of all jobs on Australia's major job sites. In a given month,
over 140,000 job advertisements are posted on seek.com.au with over 3.6 million unique browsers* visiting the site. In New
Zealand, approximately 10,000 job ads are now posted on seek.co.nz, significantly more than that of its nearest competitors. In
Australia, SEEK also has the SEEK Learning business which connects people with education and training to advance their career
and SEEK Commercial, where people can find businesses and franchises for sale. *Nielsen NetRatings Dec 10

About SEEK Intelligence
As Australia and New Zealand's leading employment website, SEEK has excellent insight into these labour markets. SEEK
regularly researches employment trends and jobseeker sentiment and conducts quantitative and qualitative research of these
audiences. SEEK Intelligence is the reporting of these results and includes such reports as:
· The SEEK Employment Index
· The SEEK Survey of Employee Satisfaction & Motivation
Details can be found online at http://www.seek.com.au/investor/employment-index
About the SEEK Employment Index
Developed in consultation with Victoria University's Centre of Strategic Economic Studies, the SEEK Employment Index
(SEEK EI)is the first Australian aggregate indicator to measure the interaction between labour market supply and labour market
demand. Specifically, the SEEK EI represents the relationship between demand for workers and jobseeker activity. When the
Index increases, it demonstrates a 'tightening' employment market; where advertisers find it harder to fill roles (i.e.: demand
outweighs supply). This is favourable for jobseekers, as job opportunities are greater and competition between applicants is
reduced. Inversely, as the Index falls, it demonstrates a 'softening' employment market (i.e.: supply outweighs demand) and
advertisers find it easier to fill roles. In this instance, jobseekers need to compete for the available jobs.