In August, the Online Vacancy Index fell on an annual level by 3.5 percent, which is the biggest drop since April this year, the Zagreb Institute of Economics said on Tuesday.

After the OVI rose by 0.4% and 1.6% in June and July, the August fall is the sixth decrease of the annual rate this year. The seasonally adjusted index value compared to the previous month fell both in July and in August, by 2.1 percent cumulatively.

“Considering that these are summer months, when the number of job advertisements is habitually lower, the third quarter usually records a decrease compared to the second quarter. We believe this will be the case this year as well, and judging by July and August, it could amount to approximately -1.2 percent, comparable to the same period a year earlier. A significant slowdown is visible in the original data as well, according to which the annual growth rate in the third quarter could be the lowest since the beginning of 2021, but we should wait for the data for September for a definite conclusion,” the Institute said.

The five most sought-after occupations have remained the same compared to August 2023 (salesperson, waiter, warehouse worker, cook, and driver), but cooks and drivers switched places on the list.

The largest drop among the most-sought after occupations was recorded for construction workers, who fell from 7th to 14th place, while demand grew the most for IT workers, medical doctors, and employees in finances, who rose from 18th, 22nd, and 24th place in August 2023 to 13th, 17th, and 19th place last month.

The biggest contribution to the job advertisement growth rate came from ads for clerks, bookkeepers, and salespersons, while the largest negative contribution came from ads for construction workers, drivers, car repair workers, waiters, telecommunications staff, and teachers.

The share of job advertisements requiring low and secondary level education fell mildly over the year, to 14.9% and 61.3%, while the share of job advertisements seeking higher levels of education increased to 23.8%.

Adriatic regions recorded a 3.1% growth in the number of job advertisements on an annual level, while the number of ads dropped strongly in eastern Croatia, by 19%. More than half of the classified occupations recorded a drop in the number of advertisements in eastern Croatia, with those for drivers, cooks, and construction workers dropping the most.

A decrease in the number of job advertisements was also recorded in central Croatia, by 1.4%. However, considering that this region accounts for 59% of all job ads, the negative contribution to the total growth rate was  -0.9 percentage points. In central Croatia, job ads for waiters, construction workers, and telecommunications staff fell the most.