ANZ Australian job ads slip 5.5% on Omicron

Cautious outlook: A file picture showing people queuing outside a welfare centre in Melbourne during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The rapidly spreading Omicron variant is dampening sentiment. — AFP

SYDNEY: A closely-watched gauge of Australian job vacancies fell last month after surging in November as the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of coronavirus dampened sentiment.

Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) Banking Group Ltd’s index of help-wanted ads declined 5.5% in December from an upwardly revised 17.2% jump over the previous two months.