More Australians working. Why is finding a job tougher?

More people are in work, but that does not tell us whether comparable Australian jobs are replacing the corporate roles being cut or offshored.

Figures checked 10 November 2026.

Australia had 168,300 more people in work in September 2026 than a year earlier. Yet unemployment and underemployment both rose, and fewer employers planned to expand. Those facts can coexist, which helps explain why a growing employment total offers little comfort when your industry is cutting jobs.

Canva's restructure, workforce cuts at NAB and Woodside, and David Jones entering administration add to that concern. For someone facing redundancy, the question is whether another job is available that matches their skills, pay and hours. The national employment total cannot answer that. But the data does show a weaker market, with recruitment in a major part of IT well below the industry average.

To understand where Canva fits, start with what the company actually announced.

What Canva's announcement means

Canva said its November restructure would affect 1,271 people, or 22% of its global workforce. Some would change roles, some would relocate and some would leave. Sydney would also become the main base for more product teams. Canva's team update

Canva did not say how many people would leave, or how many affected roles were in Australia.So the headline figure tells us the scale of the restructure, but it cannot tell us the number of Australian redundancies.

How the other big announcements compare

Several familiar employers have announced cuts this year. Their figures cover different countries and time periods:

Plans can change, too. At NAB, some non-voluntary departures were moved to 27 January 2027 for staff being considered for other roles within the bank. Report on NAB's revised timing

David Jones entered administration on 5 November. Stores kept trading, and receivers said a smaller store network was likely, but there was no confirmed job-loss total. ABC's David Jones report

Each announcement matters to the people affected. But adding the numbers together would give a misleading total for Australian job losses, because they mix global cuts, future plans and different types of change.

More people in work, yet a harder job market

It sounds contradictory, but both can be true. Employment can grow while falling behind population growth, and unemployment can rise at the same time.

The latest employment figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), available on 10 November, cover September 2026:

Seasonally adjusted figures, which account for regular seasonal patterns. Employment total rounded. ABS Labour Force, September 2026

Underemployment includes people who have work but want and are available for more hours. Its rise, alongside higher unemployment, helps explain why a growing employment total can still leave workers under pressure.

ANU economist Robert Breunig put the company headlines in perspective when speaking to SBS News. Large cuts at one business can be "a relatively small piece of the picture" across the economy. He pointed to continuing job creation, while acknowledging that the market was weaker than a year earlier. SBS News

There is also a timing gap: September's figures predate Canva's November announcement. They show the market workers were heading into, not what happened to them afterwards.

Hiring has not stopped, but your industry matters

The ABS estimated 325,000 vacancies in August 2026, seasonally adjusted, down 1.3% from a year earlier. ABS Job Vacancies

Employers' plans point to further hiring, too. In Jobs and Skills Australia's (JSA) September-quarter survey, 19% expected to add staff over the next three months, while 3% expected to reduce staff. The share planning to grow was down from 23% a year earlier. These are employers' intentions, so they do not tell us how many jobs will actually be added or lost. JSA recruitment survey

For tech job seekers, the industry comparison is more telling:

*Recruiting when surveyed or in the previous month. JSA IT industry report

That is about one in three employers in this part of IT, compared with roughly half across industries. JSA also reported strong competition for vacancies. The industry employed about 40% of information and communications technology (ICT) professionals in 2025, so the findings cover a substantial part of tech employment, but not every tech role.

If you are looking for work, the number of openings is only the starting point. The skills required, location and pay need to fit, too.

Where does AI fit in?

Atlassian said its changes would help fund investment in AI and enterprise sales. Canva pointed to slowing growth and new technology. These are the companies' explanations; they do not establish how many jobs AI has replaced. Atlassian statement, Canva statement

The ABS's August survey gives some context: 3.8% of businesses reported that AI had reduced their vacancies, while 81.8% reported no effect. The figures exclude businesses with fewer than five employees and those that did not answer the questions. They measure businesses' reported effects on vacancies, not jobs lost to AI. ABS Job Vacancies

Are comparable jobs replacing the roles being lost?

The figures in this article cannot answer that. They do not track whether comparable Australian roles are replacing the corporate jobs being cut or offshored. Growth elsewhere in the economy does not establish that someone facing redundancy can find work with similar skills, pay, hours or career prospects.

What they do establish is that Australia's job market has weakened, even though more people are employed than a year ago. Unemployment and underemployment have risen, fewer employers plan to expand, and recruitment in a major part of IT is particularly subdued. Canva's headline figure adds no confirmed count of Australian redundancies, and company statements about AI do not establish how many jobs it has replaced.

What to watch if you are looking for work

• Look closely at your role and location. Track suitable openings, advertised pay and whether applications lead to interviews. If you find a role on SEEK, the Job Ad Analyser can help you investigate its salary band and hiring signals before spending time on an application.
• Look beyond familiar employers. Search for organisations in other industries that need the same skills.
• Check the detail behind a cuts headline. Look for Australian numbers, departure dates and updates to the original plan.

For someone losing a corporate role, the availability of suitable replacement work matters more than growth in the national employment total. The evidence here supports concern about a tougher market. It does not establish that comparable jobs will be waiting for the people affected.