"Tight monetary policy continues to slow the Australian job market, with the job vacancy rate falling for six consecutive quarters," Pickering wrote.

"Australia's job vacancy rate eased to 2.3% in the March quarter. That's down from a peak of 3.1% but is still well above the 1.4% average rate from 2010 to 2019.

"Competition for talent may have eased but by no means has it returned to normal levels. Skill and talent shortages are still common and many businesses continue to find recruitment challenging."

"Australia's job vacancy rate remains highest in the mining sector at 4.6%. Mining consistently struggles to fill roles due to the remote nature of many of those opportunities.

"The vacancy rate also remains high across the utilities sector (3.3%), accommodation & food services (2.9%) and healthcare (2.6%). Persistent shortages across these sectors can undermine service provision and quality, which is particularly concerning in areas such as utilities and healthcare."

"While the number hasn't moved much in the past year, it remains well above the historical 5 to 6% range that was common in the first two decades of this century," Pickering observed.

"Multiple jobs are most common among women (7.3% of workers), compared to men (6%). Women are most likely to have a second role in healthcare & social assistance and education, whereas for men they are most commonly working multiple construction jobs or in administration.

"There is a good chance that the share of workers with multiple jobs continues its gradual upward trend this year. Cost-of-living pressures continue to make things difficult for Australian households, creating the need for extra work to manage mortgages, rents, electricity and food costs."