Employers have struggled to recruit truckies and child carers during the past month, with a lack of applicants the chief reason for difficulty finding workers.
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The National Skills Commission's latest jobs survey ranked truck drivers and childcare staff as the hardest occupations to fill.
Motor mechanics, managers and retail sales assistants rounded out the top five.
A lack of applicants was the leading source of recruitment headaches, followed by insufficient experience.
The survey - conducted between May 11 and June 5 - found 26 per cent of bosses struggled with recruitment, down from 38 per cent in April.
Retail workers saw the greatest demand, with truckies and child carers ranked second and third respectively.
The survey of 2400 employers, with a focus on health, social assistance, transport, manufacturing and retail, found 1932 vacancies.
Almost 19 per cent of bosses surveyed were recruiting, with half of positions created because of turnover and one third due to newly created roles.
About 20 per cent were looking for people for both reasons.
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said the figures showed Australia was on the right path to economic recovery.
"The data shows businesses are starting to hire again, in many industries and at all skill levels, with the highest number of jobs in demand having no requirement for a formal qualification," she said on Friday.
"As restrictions ease, we expect this trend will continue."
The top skills in demand were the ability to operate vehicles, mechanised devices or other equipment, and customer service.
Reliability, work ethic and communication topped employers' list of attributes.
Australian Associated Press