Australian Data Shows AI Has Limited Impact on Job Vacancies

The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its first survey on how artificial intelligence is reshaping labor demand, finding that AI had a limited impact on job vacancies in August 2026. Approximately 82 percent of businesses reported that AI did not affect their vacancy levels, while 4 percent saw a reduction and less than 1 percent saw an increase.

Impact varied by sector, with information media and telecommunications reporting the highest decrease in vacancies at 16 percent. In contrast, 10 percent of employers in electricity, gas, water, and waste services reported that AI increased vacancies. Looking ahead, about two-thirds of businesses do not expect AI to impact their vacancies over the next 12 months, though 8 percent anticipate a decrease.

Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock noted that while AI-driven productivity gains could allow the economy to grow faster, the timing of such an impact remains uncertain. These findings arrive as total open positions in Australia fell to 325,000 in the three months to August, a decline of nearly a third from the 2022 peak. The agency added these metrics to its quarterly Job Vacancies Survey to address growing public and policy interest in the labor market.