FILE PHOTO: A sales assistant is seen through the window of a retail store displaying a job vacancy sign in central Sydney, Australia, December 5, 2016. REUTERS/Steven Saphore/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Job vacancies in Australia fell back in the August quarter, led by a drop in the private sector, while the number of unemployed per opening edged higher, pointing to a slight loosening of the labour market.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) out on Thursday showed vacancies fell 2.7% in the three months to August, reversing gains made the previous quarter. That left vacancies down 1.5% on a year earlier at 327,200, but still 44% above pre-pandemic levels.

Vacancies in the private sector dropped 3.4%, while those in the public sector rose 2.2%. Vacancies fell in 11 of the 18 industries covered, led by services, while the retail and wholesale sectors saw gains.

The ABS noted the number of unemployed people for each vacancy rose to 2.0, from 1.9, the highest level since February 2021.

Employment growth has slowed markedly across the economy in recent months, though the jobless rate has edged up only marginally to 4.1%.

(Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)