Advertisements for jobs in September fell in Australia for the fifth straight month as firms reduce hiring staff in the slowing economy.
Job ads in major newspapers and on the internet fell by 1.4 per cent to a weekly average of 245,734 ads per week, the latest ANZ job ads survey found.
This was after falling 4.9 per cent in August, its worst monthly fall since February 2001.
ANZ head of Australian Economics Warren Hogan said the decline in job advertisements had been concentrated in recent months.
"The latest result indicates that hiring intentions continue to soften through the second half of 2008," Mr Hogan said.
"Eventually this will show up as a weakening of employment growth and a rise in the unemployment rates."
The bank has lifted its forecast in the nation's jobless rate over the next 12 months, Mr Hogan said.
"(ANZ) now expects the unemployment rate to rise around 5.75 per cent over the second half of 2009," he said.
Newspaper ads rose by 0.7 per cent in September, to an average of 15,206 a week and were down 24.9 per cent from a year ago.
Northern Territory had the strongest increase in newspaper jobs ads, 16.6 per cent, followed by the ACT, up 3.7 per cent, and 2.8 per cent in Western Australia.
NSW had the biggest slide in newspaper jobs ads, down 3.8 per cent, and Queensland was 1.6 per cent lower.
Internet ads fell 1.5 per cent in September to an average 230,529 a week.
Last week, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said the nation's unemployment rose by 0.2 percentage points to 4.3 per cent in September.
This was despite a marginal net rise of 2,200 total jobs created in the month.
Mr Hogan said the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut its cash rate by one percentage point last week, to six per cent, as a move to ease the costs of current borrowing costs in the credit markets.
ANZ forecasts more rate cuts by the central bank over the next year as the global economy slows.
"A further 100 basis points of rate cuts over the next six months is anticipated, taking the cash rate to five per cent by mid 2009," he said.
"The current global economic and financial circumstances can only be described as extraordinary and the Reserve Bank will be monitoring emerging downside risks to the global economy closely.
"A more aggressive easing of policy than is currently anticipated cannot be ruled if the global situation deteriorates further."
