Australia Employment Weekly Briefing | 2025-07-18

🦊 Highlights This Week:

• Labour Force, Australia (ABS, 17/07/2025)
  In trend terms, in June 2025:unemployment rate increased to 4.2%.participation rate remained at 67.0%.employment increased to 14,637,800.employment to population ratio remained at 64.2%.underemployment rate remained at 5.9%.monthly hours worked increased to 1,976 million.
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• Teneo acquires PwC's Australia restructuring unit to expand financial advisory presence (Yahoo Finance, 2025-07-17)

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• Gold Steady as Traders Weigh US Economy, Rate Cut Directions (Bloomberg market, 2025-07-18) Gold steadied and was set for a moderate weekly loss as investors assessed the outlook for Federal Reserve rate cuts after resilient US jobs and retail data eased concerns about the economy. 🔗 Read More

• Amazon Cuts Jobs in Cloud Services Arm Amid Spiraling AI Costs (Bloomberg technology, 2025-07-17) Amazon.com Inc. is cutting jobs in its cloud-computing division, the latest big tech company to pare its headcount amid rising costs for artificial intelligence. 🔗 Read More

• Commonwealth Bank sends jobs to India as it cuts hundreds of workers in Australia (Google News, 2025-07-18) The Commonwealth Bank has created software engineering jobs in India after retrenching staff in Australia performing the same roles. 🔗 Read More

• AUD/USD Slumps, ASX Hits Record as RBA Rate Cut Bets Rise After Soft Jobs Data (Google News, 2025-07-18) Unemployment hit an 18-month high and full-time jobs fell sharply, driving AUD/USD lower and boosting RBA rate cut bets ahead of the Q2 CPI report. 🔗 Read More

• Employer denies dismissing casual worker after ceasing all shift allocations (Google News, 2025-07-18) Company claims operational review and work shortage justify ending the employment relationship. 🔗 Read More

• South Australia hits record employment numbers (Google News, 2025-07-18) South Australia celebrates a historic employment milestone, with the highest number of job holders exceeding 977000. 🔗 Read More

• The Australia jobs report was weaker.. The moves lower as concerns for growth increase (Google News, 2025-07-18) The Australian jobs report was released in the Asian Pacific session. It came out much weaker than expectations. Below is a summary of the key data points... 🔗 Read More

• GBP/AUD Price Forecast: Pound Climbs Vs Aussie On Lacklustre Australian Jobs Data (Google News, 2025-07-18) Looking ahead, the primary catalyst of movement for the Pound Australian Dollar exchange rate on Friday will likely be market appetite for risk,... 🔗 Read More

• Australian dollar sinks on soft employment report, US retail sales loom (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australia's employment report was much weaker than expected. Job growth barely grew and the unemployment rate rose for the first time in five months. 🔗 Read More

• AUD/USD dives to three-week lows near 0.6560 after weak Australian employment data (Google News, 2025-07-18) The Australian Dollar is one of the weakest performers of the G8 currencies on Thursday, hammered by a disappointing Australian Employment report and the... 🔗 Read More

• Attract, Engage, Retain: Building a Sustainable Pharmacy Workforce in Australia (Google News, 2025-07-18) The Australian Pharmacy Leaders Forum (APLF) has affirmed its commitment to attracting, engaging, and retaining a pharmacy workforce that is equipped to... 🔗 Read More

• HR leaders struggle to enforce office return amid workforce pushback (Google News, 2025-07-18) Even leadership is divided over office-return policies, report finds. 🔗 Read More

• Australia confirms establishment of cyber reserves workforce by early 2026 (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australia will establish a cyber reserve workforce for the Australian Defence Force by early 2026, under a Cyber Reserve Concept recommended by the recent... 🔗 Read More

• Major job losses underway at Henderson (Google News, 2025-07-18) BAE Systems Australia is cutting over 150 jobs at the Henderson precinct as defence work slows down despite the site's crucial future role in AUKUS. 🔗 Read More

• Police review into Queensland workforce finds officers 'suffering burnout' (Google News, 2025-07-18) Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy says the review has found staff are overworked and need more support on the frontline. 🔗 Read More

• Australia's CSL plans to cut one-third of R&D workforce, AFR reports (Google News, 2025-07-18) (July 14): Australian biotech giant CSL may lay off around one-third of its 2500 research and development staff to streamline its operations and improve... 🔗 Read More

• Australia's CSL eyes reduction of one-third of R&D workforce, AFR reports (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australian pharmaceutical giant CSL ASX:CSL could be looking to lay off around one-third of its research and development staff, the Australian Financial... 🔗 Read More

• Skills and workforce priorities for Australian businesses: Hearing directly from businesses (Google News, 2025-07-18) This webinar is the second in a series of two webinars on this topic. It will go deeper on these issues, based on the direct experiences and perspectives of... 🔗 Read More

• Centrelink Payments June 2025: What’s Officially Changing and What You Need to Know (Google News, 2025-07-18) As we move through June, there are several confirmed Centrelink payments updates. If you're receiving the Parenting Payment, Age Pension, JobSeeker,... 🔗 Read More

• Bleak pay reality exposed for 'desperate' Aussie jobseekers as employers called out over major issue (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australian job seekers are fed up with employment ads not displaying the salary or, at the very least, the salary range. 🔗 Read More

• Morning Mail: Israel and Iran threaten further escalation; severe jobseeker penalties exposed; Piastri collides with teammate (Google News, 2025-07-18) Israel and Iran continue to exchange missiles; people receiving hospital care suffer jobseeker suspensions; Oscar Piastri finishes fourth after collision... 🔗 Read More

• Jobseekers warned as ads get 4,000 applicants amid 'disheartening' reality: 'Can't know' (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australian job seekers have been urged to still apply for roles even if they already have hundreds or even thousands of applicants. 🔗 Read More

• Kelly’s jobseeker payments were cut off during a hospital stay for psychosis. It’s far from an isolated case (Google News, 2025-07-18) In February, the highest month for suspensions this year, for every minute, more than one recipient had their payments paused. Australia news live: latest... 🔗 Read More

• One sentence made jobseeker livid (Google News, 2025-07-18) Jobs marketplace says 'ghosting' of Gen Z jobseekers is rife. A Melbourne jobseeker spent almost two hours interviewing for a dream job. What they were told at... 🔗 Read More

• Boost in social services payments to hit bank accounts July 1 (Google News, 2025-07-18) The changes will apply to JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy, ABSTUDY Living Allowance, Parenting Payment,... 🔗 Read More

• Could this be the death of Australia’s nightmarish welfare system? (Google News, 2025-07-18) The system of mutual obligations for jobseekers is under scrutiny, with potentially big implications for Australia's welfare program. 🔗 Read More

• The Forward View – Australia: July 2025 (Google News, 2025-07-18) Coming in for landing in a heavy cross wind. By NAB Group Economics. Our activity, labour market and inflation forecasts are unchanged this month. 🔗 Read More

• Australians don’t need any more information about the RBA’s stupidity and cowardice (Google News, 2025-07-18) The jobs market is wilting due to the Reserve Bank's bad monetary policy decisions. 🔗 Read More

• Unemployment to rise further, Chalmers say, as Trump 'volatility' weighs on employers (Google News, 2025-07-18) The treasurer says the rise in Australia's unemployment rate, bringing it to the highest level in almost four years, is "unwelcome" but "unsurprising". 🔗 Read More

• Jump in jobless rate ‘unwelcome but unsurprising’ (Google News, 2025-07-18) An increase in Australia's unemployment has been pinned on continuing global uncertainty, but the treasurer does not expect the rate to rise. 🔗 Read More

• Unemployment unexpectedly jumps to 4.3 per cent, gives rise to rate cut talk (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australia's unemployment rate has risen to 4.3 per cent after it was tipped to remain at 4.1 per cent. 🔗 Read More

• Interest rate cut close as unemployment rises (Google News, 2025-07-18) An interest rate cut is looking more likely when the RBA meets in a few weeks, after the rise in the unemployment rate in June. Jobless figures rose from... 🔗 Read More

• Australia news live: wreckage of missing plane found in Snowy Mountains; Labor expects unemployment to rise (Google News, 2025-07-18) Plane piloted by 74-year-old NSW man David Stephens believed to have crashed. Follow the latest news live. Get our breaking news email, free app or daily... 🔗 Read More

• Unemployment spikes and Aussie dollar takes a dive with prospect of rate cut (Google News, 2025-07-18) Teens Ana Fonseca, Mathew Caronno, Isabelle Laine-Euden, and Matilda Behrendt react to the voting age being lowered to 16. 🔗 Read More

• Leading economist tears apart Labor’s unemployment rise explanation (Google News, 2025-07-18) Labor's claim that unemployment is up to an almost four year high due to “global uncertainty” has been torn apart after new figures revealed the joblessness... 🔗 Read More

• Australian unemployment rate surprises with 4.3% June increase, modest job growth (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australia's unemployment rate increased to 4.3% in June, rising from 4.1% in May and dashing market expectations that it would remain steady, according to. 🔗 Read More

• Technology News | ⚡Layoffs: Telstra Eliminating 550 Roles Amid Enterprise Business Restructuring (Google News, 2025-07-18) Read Latest Technology News Quickly Here | Telstra, an Australia-based telecommunication giant is reportedly planning to continue laying off more employees... 🔗 Read More

• Microsoft lays off 4 per cent of global workforce, impacting thousands of jobs (Google News, 2025-07-18) Microsoft says it is laying off about 9000 workers, its second mass layoff in months and its largest in more than two years. 🔗 Read More

• Australian universities in crisis: Oppose Labor’s cuts to international students and jobs (Google News, 2025-07-18) Because of the Labor government's agenda, universities have announced more than 3000 job cuts and worse is to come. 🔗 Read More

• Bosses warn of job losses to AI | The Business | ABC NEWS (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australia's workforce is on the precipice of major upheaval. The bosses of some of the nation's biggest companies, including Commonwealth Bank chief... 🔗 Read More

• Retailers Set To Be Hit By Massive Layoff By Amazon, Intel, Microsoft & Nike (Google News, 2025-07-18) Some of the biggest tech Companies have started to slash job, with even toy and food companies moving to slash jobs in Australia due in part to the... 🔗 Read More

• Trump admin asks Supreme Court to get mass layoffs executed | HRD Australia (Google News, 2025-07-18) Trump's plan for large-scale workforce cuts was announced in February. It led to various federal agencies cutting their workforce, or making plans to do so,... 🔗 Read More

• Australia’s Jobless Rate Ticks Up, Pressure Mounts On RBA (Google News, 2025-07-18) Unemployment rose in June, but the Reserve Bank held interest rates steady as policymakers weighed labor market trends and slower inflation. 🔗 Read More

• Australia unemployment spikes as trade tensions hinder hiring (Google News, 2025-07-18) MELBOURNE -- Australia's unemployment rate rose to 4.3% in June, its highest level since 2021, as a labor market buoyed by government spending appeare. 🔗 Read More

• Australia add just 2,000 jobs in June as jobless rate rises to 4.3% (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australia's labour market showed signs of softening in June 2025, with net employment rising by just 2,000 and the unemployment rate climbing to 4.3%,... 🔗 Read More

• Jobless rate nears four-year high, firms rethink plans (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australia's unemployment rate has bucked expectations and risen as economic headwinds take their toll on employers. 🔗 Read More

• Australia’s Job Market Shock: Stocks on Edge (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australia's latest employment figures have been released, revealing a significant decline in full-time employment for June. The data showed a decrease of... 🔗 Read More

• Australia's Labor Market Downturn Fuels RBA Rate Cut Odds: AUD and Bond Market Opportunities (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australia's unemployment rate has surged to 4.3% in June 2025, marking a 3.5-year high and a critical turning point for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). 🔗 Read More

• Australian Unemployment Climbs to Four-Year High, Currency Drops (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australian unemployment unexpectedly climbed to a four-year high in June as hiring almost stalled, suggesting a loosening of the labor market and bolstering... 🔗 Read More

• Australia’s Job Growth Falls Short: Market Impact? (Google News, 2025-07-18) In a surprising turn of events, Australia's Employment Change for June was reported today, revealing a significant shortfall from expectations. 🔗 Read More

• Apprenticeship reforms should focus on employers' economic reality – Ai Group (Google News, 2025-07-18) Reforms to Australia's apprenticeship and traineeship system should focus on the economic reality for employers, according to the Australian Industry Group... 🔗 Read More

• Liam O’Brien: Australia is bleeding apprentices, it’s time we paid them more (Google News, 2025-07-18) We do need to urgently increase apprenticeship starts, but first we must address the poor completion rate, Australia loses nearly 50 per cent of its... 🔗 Read More

• Opinion: Let’s get behind the employers behind the apprentices (Google News, 2025-07-18) Behind every great apprentice or trainee is an employer. The role of employers in the apprenticeship and traineeship system is fundamental as no apprentice... 🔗 Read More

• Aaron Morey: WA’s skilled trades shortage isn’t bad ‘bosses,’ there’s no apprenticeships to give (Google News, 2025-07-18) In the heated debate about how best to address Australia's skilled trades shortage, one critical truth seems to be missing from the conversation: without... 🔗 Read More

• Powerlink apprenticeship opportunities power up for 2026 (Google News, 2025-07-18) More than 20 apprenticeship opportunities next year with Powerlink are now open, with positions available across Queensland. 🔗 Read More

• Urgent call to plug dire tradie shortage (Google News, 2025-07-18) Their policy wishlist includes a baseline support package for employers of up to $4000 per apprentice for the first two years of an apprenticeship, and up to... 🔗 Read More

• ITV Studios Australia and Screen Careers Launch Long-Term Training Program to Boost Australia’s Crew Workforce (Google News, 2025-07-18) ITV Studios Australia, in partnership with national screen training organisation Screen Careers, has launched an exciting new long-term training program. 🔗 Read More

• Report: Nation’s youngest occupation is in hospitality (Google News, 2025-07-18) Jobs and Skills Australia's latest occupation and industry profiles report has revealed that fast-food cooking is the nation's youngest occupation,... 🔗 Read More

• ANZ Flags Softness in Australian Labour Market (Google News, 2025-07-18) ANZ economists Aaron Luk and Adam Boyton have characterised June's labour force data as "soft", suggesting a mild relaxation in Australian labour market... 🔗 Read More

• Australia jobless rate hits 3.5 year high, boosting rate cut bets (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australia's labour market is showing strain, with the unemployment rate rising to 4.3% in June, the highest since November 2021. Australia's labour market... 🔗 Read More

• Australian unemployment at four-year high bolsters rate-cut case (Google News, 2025-07-18) [CANBERRA] Australian unemployment unexpectedly climbed to a four-year high in June as hiring almost stalled, suggesting a loosening of the labour market... 🔗 Read More

• Job figures the fresh piece of Reserve Bank rate puzzle (Google News, 2025-07-18) Australia's unemployment rate has bucked expectations and risen as economic headwinds take their toll on employers. 🔗 Read More

• Hopes of August rate relief firm as labour market cools (Google News, 2025-07-18) Hopes for a third interest rate cut have been boosted after Australia's jobs boom stalled but economists have warned not to pop the champagne corks for an... 🔗 Read More

• Grants open to deliver new Remote Employment Service (Google News, 2025-07-18) Eligible organisations are now invited to apply for funding to assist job seekers in remote communities through the Albanese Labor Government's new Remote... 🔗 Read More

• Grants now open for new $707 Million Remote Jobs Program (Google News, 2025-07-18) The first round of grants is now open for the Albanese Labor Government's new Remote Jobs and Economic Development (RJED) program, that will create up to... 🔗 Read More

• Home Care Package subsidy increasing to pass on wage rise (Google News, 2025-07-18) We are increasing the Home Care Package subsidy on 1 January 2025 by 0.93% to pass on the Fair Work Commission Stage 3 decision to increase award wages for... 🔗 Read More

• Workplace prac subsidy expanded for early childhood educators, students under Federal Government package (Google News, 2025-07-18) All students studying early childhood education will now be eligible for paid prac work, the Federal Government has announced, unveiling an expanded package of... 🔗 Read More

• Skilled Migrant Job Connect Subsidy for skilled migrants in Western Australia (Google News, 2025-07-18) What is the Skilled Migrant Job Connect Subsidy? The Skilled Migrant Job Connect Subsidy program (the Subsidy) offers reimbursements of up to $7,500 for onshore... 🔗 Read More

• Apprentice boost for WA's building and construction workforce (Google News, 2025-07-18) million to expand the Group Training Organisation Wage Subsidy Program. 🔗 Read More

• Indigenous employment changing lives in remote Western Australia (Google News, 2025-07-18) With many vacancies in hospitality and tourism jobs as well as high Indigenous unemployment rates, regional WA is looking for ways to solve both challenges. 🔗 Read More

• Remote resort jobs changing lives of Indigenous workers (Google News, 2025-07-18) Cameron Victor is "shaking a little" as he strums his guitar for customers dining at a resort in far northern Western Australia. Today he's on stage,... 🔗 Read More

• Grants open for remote employment support (Google News, 2025-07-18) The Australian government has launched a new grant round under the Remote Australia Employment Service (RAES), inviting applications from organisations... 🔗 Read More

• 'Tailored, flexible support': Grants open for new remote employment service, federal government announces (Google News, 2025-07-18) Eligible organisations under the federal government's new Remote Australia Employment Service can now apply for funding to support job seekers in remo... 🔗 Read More

• What a jobs expo looks like in a community where most are out of work (Google News, 2025-07-18) 650 new jobs are set to be created in remote communities across Australia under the National Indigenous Australians Agency's (NIAA) new Remote Jobs Economic... 🔗 Read More

• First round of government jobs grants announced as remote unemployment skyrockets. Will it be enough? (Google News, 2025-07-18) The federal government has announced the long-awaited results of the first round of its jobs program, a month out from the federal election. 🔗 Read More

• Coalition commits extraordinary about-face on 'end' to work from home (Google News, 2025-07-18) A Coalition promise to send public servants back to the office has been jettisoned, and plans to cut 41000 Commonwealth jobs walked back significantly,... 🔗 Read More

• Resource written to help autistic workers, jobseekers (Google News, 2025-07-18) People with autism are often framed by what society thinks they are unable to do, rather than what they are good at. It is the reason why about a-third of... 🔗 Read More

• Bella Roberts, Laura Winson among speakers for second Bus Stop Films Disability Employment Summit (Google News, 2025-07-18) International speakers Bella Roberts and Laura Winson will join writer Carly Findlay, filmmaker Matt Formston, and writer and actor Hannah Diviney at Bus... 🔗 Read More

• Bus Stop Films announces international speakers Bella Roberts and Laura Winson for the Driving Change: Disability Employment Summit 2025 (Google News, 2025-07-18) Tickets now on sale Bus Stop Films, global leaders in inclusive filmmaking and advocacy on the employment of people with disability in the screen industry,... 🔗 Read More

• Opinion: Hospitality's Real Crisis Is Disability Exclusion (Google News, 2025-07-18) Jess Colgan is an advocate for disability inclusive employment and the CEO of Melbourne social enterprise, All Things Equal. 🔗 Read More

• Jigsaw helps people with disabilities put all the pieces together on path to employment (Google News, 2025-07-18) Jigsaw is a social enterprise that trains and helps transition people with disabilities into mainstream employment – in their own time and at their own pace. 🔗 Read More

🧠 This Week’s Spark Insight: This week’s hot topics? Definitely Rate, Jobs and Unemployment.

🦊 Sisi’s Summary:
This week’s updates reflect movements in Australia’s employment space, ranging from jobless rates to training programs and tech disruption. Stay tuned for future-focused career shifts.

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