Cross‑industry IR indicators: wages, vacancies, and workforce settings heading into 2026

This special bulletin is designed to give North Queensland employers a simple read on what the macro indicators are saying about workforce conditions. It is not a substitute for industry-specific bargaining strategy, but it is useful context for wage expectations, attraction/retention and dispute risk.

The key takeaway is that labour demand remains elevated compared with pre‑pandemic levels, but it has softened from the peak. At the same time, wage growth remains material and cost pressures persist. That mix tends to increase bargaining intensity in high-consequence industries and increases compliance and retention risk in award-reliant sectors.

Practical focus

• When setting wage strategy, compare your internal pay movement against WPI and award movements.

• Treat vacancies as a lead indicator: if you cannot recruit fast, your fatigue and overtime risks rise.

• Ensure casual management practices are compliant and operationally consistent.

Data snapshot (selected)

• Job vacancies (Australia, seasonally adjusted, Nov 2025): 326,700; down 0.2% from Aug 2025.

• Job vacancies compared to peak: 31% lower than May 2022 peak (Australia).

• Wage Price Index (Australia): up 3.4% over the 12 months to Sep quarter 2025.

• CPI (Australia): 3.8% over the 12 months to Dec 2025 (monthly indicator).

• Casual employees (Aug 2025): 19.5% of employees were casual (persons).

• Minimum wage benchmark (from 1 July 2025): $24.95/hour and $948/week.