Australia's job advertising falls 1.5%

The number of Australia's job advertisements posted on the internet and in newspapers fell 1.5 percent in March, following a three percent rise in February, the ANZ Bank Job advertisement survey released on Monday showed. The monthly survey showed job advertising on the internet fell 1.6 percent in the month while newspaper job advertising rose 1.8 percent rise. ANZ head of Australian macroeconomics Katie Dean said job advertising trends had shown signs of stabilizing, but it was too early to say whether the labor market had passed its weakest point. "While lower interest rates are beginning to support stronger domestic economic activity, the positive effects of accommodative monetary policy have been mixed to date," Dean said in the report. "Alongside improvements in consumer confidence and equity prices, household spending has started to pick up, evident in increases in house prices and a tentative improvement in retail sales," said Dean. She said lower interest rates had helped stimulate the economy but had not yet translated into improved business confidence.