October optimism?

What's happening in the job market this month?

As we move further into the final quarter of the year, the job market is showing some interesting shifts. Seek reported a 0.5% month-on-month increase in job ads for October, marking the third consecutive month of growth. Applications per ad also rose by 0.7%, indicating continued job-seeker engagement. However, job ads in Victoria dipped by 1.3%, and Technology roles saw a notable decrease of 3.7% month-on-month, possibly balancing out September’s 4.4% surge.

Regarding salaries, growth appears to be moderating. Advertised salaries rose 3.7% year-on-year to October and 0.3% month-on-month, with a 0.9% increase over the last three months (especially interesting given July’s uplift in award rates). This steadying trend may point to an easing of wage inflation pressures.

On the economic front, unemployment dropped slightly to 4.1% from 4.2% in August, indicating a resilient labour market. Inflation reached a three-year low at 2.9%, though when accounting for the energy rebate, it’s closer to 3.4%, so it's not quite in the RBA target range of 2-3% just yet. With these trends, all eyes are on the upcoming Reserve Bank decision on potential interest rate adjustments, though a rate change is more likely in the new year.

In Other News! The Hybrid, Return to Office & WFH debate is back in the headlines!

Amazon’s recent mandate for a full return to the office echoes similar moves at Tabcorp, JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs. This has reignited the debate on the effectiveness of in-person versus hybrid work. Researchers, including Stanford’s Nick Bloom argue that hybrid work boosts productivity and reduces turnover, yet many businesses appear unconvinced, citing a lack of conclusive evidence and a drop in productivity. The return to office decisions are emphasising the need to positively impact the culture and connectivity of teams. However, there’s also cynical speculation that this mandate is a strategy to indirectly trim the workforce.

Adam Grant has also noted that CEOs may overlook data favouring hybrid work due to its complexities and potential challenges in unpacking the true cause of productivity shifts.

See the full article on this topic here:

Researchers vs Business Leaders on Hybrid working

However, not all commentators and researchers are against the move for a return to office. Check out the recent article by Jacob Morgan of Future Leadership

Why every employee should spend 6 months working from the office

He makes the argument that…

 “…..after an extended period of working from home, maintaining a cohesive culture, aligning on vision, focusing on strategic business objectives, and shifting from productivity to innovation became challenging. We've experienced a sense of isolation, a lack of human interaction, and a disconnect that feels like something out of a dystopian novel.”

Specifically, the premise here is that businesses need to realign and in the post-COVID era, we’ve lost our way – and needs reset.

What is LinkedIn reporting on hybrid & remote working?

Hot off the press (and the reason this monthly update is coming out today & not last week!) is the latest data from Linkedin on the type of job ad and application on the platform.

Interestingly, Linkedin show almost a third of all Australian job ads are for hybrid working, and about 6% of job ads are fully remote (note…..the latest research globally shows about 11% people work fully remote). More than 40% of the applications on the platform are for hybrid roles. For the fully remote ads, these are attracting 10% of applications in Australia.

It’s also interesting to note that Australia has the highest percentage of hybrid job ads in the APAC comparator group. When you look at the global picture, every country in Europe (apart from France and Germany) has a higher percentage of hybrid job ads. In the Americas, I was surprised to see in the United Staes only 12% of job ads are hybrid.

Full article here:

LinkedIn Pulse Flexible work preferences across the globe

See the poll results below for more views on Hybrid models and working from home.

DISCUSS!

What are your thoughts on hybrid working?

Where are you seeing it work, and how is it set up for success?

Please share your thoughts, comments and observations at the bottom of this newsletter.

POLLS

Every Thursday, I share a poll with my network on Linkedin to get their views and opinions on key topics.

Are we on the cusp of the end to the Hybrid/WFH era?

A resounding 80% of you say no! I think the reality is we are not yet at total end to hybrid working, but I believe we will see a shift in the days people spend from home/office. When so many big names are announcing 5 days in office or making bonuses dependent on office presence, you can’t help but feel the tide has turned.

That said, an uptick in the job market will increase candidate power to negotiate greater flexibility.

Let’s watch this space. It will be interesting to see where we land by the end of 2025.

Is it ever ok to tell a white lie in an interview?

I wasn’t sure how this poll would go! Maybe the question should have been “Have you ever told a white lie in an interview?”. Especially as I think we’re more likely to imagine our future self in positive terms! This poll created some interesting debate. Many people commenting that honesty is a key part of the interview process, and if the interviewer doesn’t like your candour, then it’s probably not the place for you to work!

What’s the primary goal for your next career move?

This poll was really insightful and speaks to the mindset of the job market right now.

A third of you are looking for work/life balance in your next role vs 28% who are focused on increasing their salary. Interestingly, only 6% of you are focused on learning new skills from your next role (as your primary driver).

What does this tell us?

It tells me where and how organisations need to focus their Employee Value Proposition.

My question to you as a future (or present) job seeker is, what does work/life balance mean to you? I don’t simply mean how many days in office/from home (this is not flexibility). I mean what flexibility do you need to be at your optimum performance at work. This is what any sensible employer wants to know. You also need to consider what is reasonable for an organisation to expect from you in return. Most people want to work in a high performing team and culture. Great teams balance the needs of the individual AND the team. Flexibility is not just a one way street.

Does humour have a place in the job interview?

Great news….96% of you have a sense of humour 😉

The interview is a place to form a relationship and get to know someone. Humour is a key way to build rapport. Used well, it’s also a great sign of emotional intelligence.

If you need any dad jokes, DM me 😊

TALES FROM TECH TITANS

This month we’ve had some unbelievably brilliant guests on the Tales from Tech Titans podcast. I continue to be blown away by the stories, the journeys, the lessons and the honest insights of the people I get to meet and interview.

We also had our 2nd Titans networking drinks night. It was awesome to see so many of the Titans come together and connect.

Do you follow the podcast? If not, follow us now!

Also….if you have a question you love to ask a Titan then DM me.

We may even add it to the Lightening round!

Recommended Reads & Listens

A few months ago we realigned our values at Emmbr and added a new value – Own It, Do it!. Shortly after this I received a book(wn It!) in the post as a gift from the Leadership Coach we worked with to shape our values (thank you Leeat Bosco ).

I’ll confess, the book has sat in my to read pile since June, but then 2 weeks ago I was randomly introduced to the author Dr Paige Williams by someone else in my network. What are the chances?!

The introduction spurred me to action and over a couple of days I smashed through the book. I also had a chance to grab a coffee last week with Paige to talk through some of her ideas.

WOW! I’m glad I got this opportunity. I love everything about this book. It’s made me rethink accountability as a concept and how as leaders we are responsible to call people to accountability, not to hold people to account.

In light of the conversation about hybrid working, I can’t help but think where/when we work is the wrong conversation. It should be about accountability and purpose.

If you get the chance, check it out!