October delivers new hiring signals and a change in how a key index is built. Employers and recruiters need to read two streams at once: the updated SEEK Employment Index and new insights from Jobs and Skills Australia. The goal is simple. Build decisions on clean data, not noise.
What Changed In The SEEK Employment Index
From October 2025, the SEEK Employment Index includes aggregated ads. These are listings drawn from outside sources and republished on the platform. The publisher has also rebuilt history to March 2022 to keep comparisons consistent. If your reporting blends old and new series, refresh your charts from March 2022 onward. That reduces false jumps driven by method rather than demand.
Quick actions
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Re-download or rebuild any time series from March 2022 to today.
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Label your dashboards clearly so monthly and yearly comparisons use the revised set.
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Focus on the trend series when weekly rosters and seasonal peaks create short spikes.
What Jobs And Skills Australia Says Right Now
Jobs and Skills Australia reports that online job ads fell in August 2025 on a seasonally adjusted basis. The monthly change was a decline of 4.2 percent. Ads were also down year on year by 12.2 percent. The level sits at about 202,500 ads nationwide for August. Demand has cooled, yet the long view still shows elevated activity relative to pre-pandemic years.
Cross-Check With ABS Job Vacancies
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports 327,200 job vacancies in August 2025. That is down 2.7 percent from May. Private sector vacancies fell by 3.4 percent. Public sector vacancies rose by 2.2 percent. This split helps explain why some teams see slower requisition flow while government hiring remains steady in key services.
Turn Study Into Supply: International Student Pathways
Jobs and Skills Australia’s pathways study tracks cohorts from 2010–11 through the end of 2023. It shows how fields of study link to employment, how graduates progress to skilled roles, and where policy and employer programs can lift outcomes. For employers facing persistent shortages, structured internships, mentoring, and targeted graduate programs increase conversion from study into work. The result is a larger, better aligned entry-level pipeline.
Target Shortages With Evidence
Use the national shortage assessments to focus your hiring spend. Prioritise occupations that remain in shortage. Show a clear path from study to role. Offer relocation support where regional gaps persist. Align onboarding and early training to the tasks that constrain productivity in the first ninety days.
Practical Reading For Recruiters
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Compare apples with apples. Only use the revised SEEK series for any period after March 2022.
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Watch the trend, not a single monthly print. That helps keep salary decisions stable.
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Pair JSA online ads with ABS vacancies for a balanced read on demand.
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Link early-career hiring to occupations that remain in shortage to lift fill rates.
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Track time to fill and first-year retention as leading indicators for quarter-ahead capacity.
SEO Takeaways
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Keywords to include: Australian labour market, SEEK Employment Index, Jobs and Skills Australia, online job ads, ABS job vacancies, Occupation Shortage List, international student pathways, recruitment, workforce planning.
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Structure for readability: short paragraphs, clear subheadings, active voice, transition words such as “therefore,” “however,” and “meanwhile.”
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On-page tips: add a meta description that references “SEEK methodology change,” “JSA job ads August 2025,” and “ABS job vacancies August 2025.”
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Internal consistency: use Australian English and consistent number formatting.
Read the market with clean inputs. Use the revised SEEK series for comparability. Anchor demand with Jobs and Skills Australia and the ABS. Expand supply by converting more international graduates into roles that remain in shortage. This approach turns a complex news week into a clear plan for hiring and workforce performance.
