Two releases in the first week of November deserve a place in Australian businesses’ hiring discussions.
On 3 November, the Reserve Bank of Australia lifted the cash rate target to 4.85%. A day later, the Australian Bureau of Statistics published new evidence about AI’s reported impact on job vacancies.
Together with recent recruitment and occupation-shortage findings, they raise practical questions: which hires are essential, which capabilities are genuinely scarce, and how should technology change the work a new employee is expected to do?
This November outlook examines those questions using the latest available official evidence. Publication dates and reference periods are identified separately, so new findings are not confused with data measuring November itself.
The RBA’s 3 November decision increased the cash rate target by 25 basis points. Its statement described a slowing economy and projected continued employment growth alongside a larger increase in unemployment than it had forecast in August.
These are forecasts, not confirmed future outcomes.
For employers reviewing headcount, a useful starting point is to identify what each planned hire will deliver. Will the position increase capacity, protect service quality, relieve an operational bottleneck or bring expertise the business does not currently have?
Put those expectations into the brief before advertising. Agree on what success should look like after three and six months, who will support the person and how the role fits the budget.
An urgent vacancy can still require a quick decision. Preparation helps ensure that speed does not come at the expense of a clear scope or a realistic offer.
The ABS release published on 4 November adds evidence to a discussion often dominated by predictions.
For August 2026, about 82% of responding businesses reported that AI had not affected vacancy numbers. Four per cent reported fewer vacancies because of AI, while fewer than 1% reported an increase.
The scope matters. These findings concern vacancies, not effects on existing jobs. Businesses with zero to four employees were excluded, along with sampled businesses that did not answer the questions.
The release cannot establish how many jobs AI has eliminated or how it will reshape every occupation.
For an employer designing a role now, the useful questions are specific:
Which tasks could appropriate technology assist?
Which decisions still require experienced judgement?
Who will check the quality and accuracy of the output?
What training and safeguards will the employee need?
Answering these questions can produce a clearer job description than simply asking for someone who is “AI proficient”.
Candidates can take the same approach. Explain the tools you use, the work they help you complete and how you verify the result. Concrete examples make a stronger case than broad claims about being comfortable with technology.
Jobs and Skills Australia’s September-quarter 2026 REOS report, released in late October, recorded:
A 47% recruitment rate, three percentage points below the same quarter a year earlier.
45% recruitment difficulty among recruiting employers, three points higher.
Difficulty for 65% of employers recruiting Technicians and Trades Workers.
Difficulty for 56% of recruiting Construction employers.
The recruitment rate covers employers currently recruiting or who had recruited in the previous month. These are quarterly results. The survey targets employers with at least five employees and excludes many government organisations.
The practical distinction is between receiving applications and finding someone who can perform the role.
For businesses hiring in Property and Construction, establish which qualifications, licences and project experience are essential. Then identify what can reasonably be learned after joining.
Across other sectors, apply the same discipline to systems knowledge, leadership experience and customer responsibilities. A long list of preferences can unintentionally exclude capable people.
Jobs and Skills Australia’s 2026 occupation-shortage findings, published in October, identified 279 occupations in national shortage, or 27% of those assessed. That compares with 29% in 2025.
Shortages remained concentrated among Professionals and Technicians and Trades Workers. The accompanying analysis identifies three broad causes: constraints in the supply of trained workers, a lack of suitable applicants and retention difficulties.
That distinction should shape the recruitment plan.
Where training is the constraint: consider how the business can develop capability over time, alongside recruiting people with essential qualifications.
Where suitability is the constraint: review the brief and assessment process. Be precise about which experience predicts success and which requirements are simply familiar.
Where retention is the constraint: investigate why people leave. Replacing someone without addressing workload, progression or management issues can leave the business facing the same vacancy again.
A national shortage classification provides context. Hiring decisions still need evidence about the particular occupation, location and role.
The latest ABS Labour Force release covers September 2026.
Seasonally adjusted employment fell by 39,300, and unemployment reached 4.7%. However, trend employment increased by 15,700, with trend unemployment at 4.6%.
The ABS recommends caution when interpreting short-term changes, including possible residual effects from supplementary survey methodology changes. Its quality checks found the figures fit for use.
For employers and candidates, the implication is to avoid treating one monthly result as a complete assessment of the market. Check demand for the work you actually need done or the experience you can offer.
A national employment figure cannot tell you whether a particular team needs an experienced manager, whether a candidate meets a specialist requirement or whether an offer is competitive.
Write down the problem the role should solve. Confirm the budget, reporting line and expected contribution before beginning the search.
If technology has changed how tasks are completed, reflect that in the responsibilities and assessment. Avoid recycling a job description that no longer matches the position.
Keep non-negotiable qualifications and capabilities clear. For other requirements, assess whether someone with relevant transferable experience could succeed with support.
Use structured questions and role-relevant examples. Where an assessment is appropriate, keep it proportionate and explain what it measures.
Confirm who will interview, who can approve the offer and how candidates will receive updates. A well-organised process helps people assess the opportunity as seriously as you assess them.
Explore Woods & Co’s employer recruitment services for support with defining the brief and finding suitable candidates.
Explain what you delivered, how you approached the work and what improved as a result. Use figures where you can substantiate them.
Name relevant tools, but go further. Explain how you use them, what you check and where your own judgement matters.
During interviews, ask what the team needs now, how the position may develop and what support will be available. These questions can reveal more than a broad promise of career progression.
Consider responsibilities, leadership, working arrangements, remuneration and development together. Clarify the parts that matter to you before accepting.
Browse current Woods & Co opportunities or register your CV to introduce your experience and interests.
Three scheduled releases will add to the picture:
18 November: September-quarter ABS Wage Price Index.
18 November: October Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index.
19 November: October ABS Labour Force.
Until they are published, those results should not be treated as known.
For November’s hiring decisions, the immediate opportunity is to improve the quality of the brief, the evidence used to assess candidates and the way new employees will be supported.
The latest releases make those questions more pressing. They also give employers and job seekers a firmer basis for asking them.
The latest available seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 4.7%, for September 2026. This is the latest published result, not a measurement of unemployment in November.
The ABS’s 4 November release found that 4% of responding businesses reported AI-related vacancy reductions in August. The findings do not measure effects on existing jobs or cover businesses with fewer than five employees.
Yes. In the September quarter of 2026, 45% of recruiting employers in Jobs and Skills Australia’s survey reported difficulty. Results varied substantially by occupation and industry.
Define the work, confirm the budget and distinguish essential capabilities from skills that can be developed. Plan interviews, decision-making and onboarding together so the recruitment process reflects the actual business need.
For earlier context, read our October Australian job market update. Official statistics may be revised. This article provides general information, not a forecast for an individual role or business.