Labour shortages to persist

Job vacancies have continued to surge in Australia highlighting worsening staff shortages in almost every industry. While subdued labour mobility was an initial driver, we estimate that labour mobility is almost back at its pre-virus level. Instead, we still believe that the border closure is the biggest driver of these shortages. Given that we don’t expect the border to reopen until the middle of next year, the labour market is set to remain tight for a long time to come.