SYDNEY, March 31 (Reuters) - Job vacancies in Australia jumped 2.7 percent in the December-February quarter to hit their highest since mid-2012, a promising sign of improving demand for labour.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed total job vacancies rose to 172,800 seasonally adjusted in the December-February quarter, from 168,300 in the three months to November.
Vacancies in the three months to Feb were 13.2 higher than in the same period last year.
Vacancies in the private sector climbed 2.9 percent in the quarter to 157,300, again the highest reading since the August quarter of 2012.
Public sector vacancies dipped 0.6 percent in the quarter due to belt-tightening moves by Federal and state government.
Analysts value the vacancies series as it has proved a reliable leading indicator of labour demand and turning point in the employment sector.