Job ads for roles in advertising, media, marketing, communciations and the arts fell by 60% in April compared to March, according to analysis by SEEK.
April was the first full month showing the impact of the coronavirus on the employment market.
Overall, new job ads posted on SEEK in April are down by 65.6% compare to the same month last year and 49.9% compared to March.
However, there are some early signs indicating improvement.
“It is encouraging to see that we may be at a turning point in the employment market as the latest figures in May point to an easing in the rate of job advertising decline," says Kendra Banks, Managing Director, SEEK ANZ.
In the week ended May10, job advertising was down 59.7% compared to the same week last year. At the lowest point in April, the week ended April 19, the decline was 69.1%.
SEEK says the ten percentage point improvement could mean a turning point from lows.
"In the first two weeks of May, we have seen job ad volumes slowly creep back up, which aligns to the will of governments to get the economy moving and get people back into jobs," says Banks.
"We know this will take some time, which is why we are cautious to be too positive at this point.
"As job ad volumes start to slowly return, candidate applications remain high, making the job seeking process even more competitive than usual."
Job ad percentage change by industry, comparing April to March, according to SEEK:
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