SYDNEY. Oct 9: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group said today its job advertisement series fell by a record 18.3 per cent in September, but tills was mainly a result of a downturn in ads during the Sydney Olympic Gaines, says Reuters.

The number of job ads was the lowest since February 1998. and was down 24.6 per cent from September 1999. It was the fourth straight monthly fall.

As foreshadowed last month. Septembers fall - the largest in the 25-year history of this series - appears to have been largely, if not wholly, a side-effect of the Olympic Games.' said ANZ chief economist Saul Eslake

The number of job ads in Sydney newspapers fell by 32.8 per cent in September, while ads in other capital city newspapers were down 7.3 per cent in September from August.

“Employers appear, not unreasonably. to have taken the view that prospective Job appli-c,nits would have been unlikely to get past the sports pages last month." Eslake said.