Insurance and finance offer the strongest jobs prospects as Australia continues to adjust to the end of the mining boom, according to Manpower.

The recruiter’s Employment Outlook Survey for the fourth quarter shows a net employment outlook of +20% in the insurance and finance sector, up one percentage point from the previous quarter and well ahead of the second-placed services sector on +12%.

Manpower affiliate Experis says the growing importance placed on insurance has had a multiplier effect on jobs in the sector.

“Peace of mind has become a commodity, in the form of insurance,” Experis GM Richard Fischer told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“With recent emphasis being placed on its importance, there is higher demand for its product and services, and in turn a greater need for back-office roles.

“This is also generating wider buoyancy in the sector.”

The overall net employment outlook improved to +7% from +6% in the previous quarter. The outlook is the percentage of employers planning to recruit, minus those expecting to downsize.

“While hiring plans are weaker than historic norms, the fourth-quarter results are not unexpected when one considers the effect current commodity prices and shifting economies across Asia… are likely to have on job growth throughout Australia,” Manpower Group MD Lincoln Crawley said.

Manpower surveyed 1502 employers for the report.