The survey asked participants “how do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of March 2016 as compared to the current quarter?”

Of the 1503 employers surveyed, 15% forecast an increase in staffing levels, 7% anticipated a decrease and 76% expected no change.

The resulting net employment outlook was +8%.

Payrolls are also expected to increase across  Australia, with employers in Victoria and the Northern Territory anticipating steady job gains, with net employment outlooks of +11%.

In contrast, South Australian employers reported the weakest hiring plans, with an outlook of +3%.

While the ongoing slowdown in Australia’s mining activity was exerting a ripple effect across many sectors and regions, there are signs that the country’s transition to non-mining sectors of the economy is maintaining traction, with positive forecasts in all sectors and regions.

In the mining and construction sector, employers report a net employment outlook of +3%, the weakest outlook across all sectors, which indicates a trend toward modest hiring activity during the upcoming quarter.

The outlook improves by two percentage points quarter-over-quarter but is two percentage points weaker year-over-year.