☕️ The jobs employers are trying to fill

What a week of news we have coming up (and that’s just based on what we know!).

On Tuesday, the RBA will hand down its next cash rate decision, with many economists predicting another rate rise. It’s a public holiday in Victoria, to mark the Melbourne Cup.

On Wednesday, we’ll be watching how the U.S. votes in the 2026 midterms (and we’ve got Billi and Orla on the ground for you in Michigan to watch it all go down).

Then we’ve got the New Zealand national election next Saturday, and the COP31 Climate Conference a few days later.

Just a small week then!

The quote: “Any level or type of threat must be met with an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in a new statement posted on his official Telegram account. U.S. and Iranian negotiators held talks over the weekend, as anticipation over the resumption of U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran after the upcoming U.S. midterm elections grows.

The stat: 75%. The estimated percentage of NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 who had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to a new study. The degenerative brain disease is linked to head knocks and can only be diagnosed after death.

The big question:

Friday’s results: 75% of you didn’t celebrate Halloween on the weekend, while 25% did. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [2,341 votes].

Together with AAP.

Hosting season is creeping up.

Thankfully, Pillow Talk has 40% off Kitchen & Dining until the 12th of November, kicking off a full month of Black Friday offers.

^{*Excludes clearance, Mr Consistent and Christmas Kitchen. Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.}

The Government has released its yearly list of jobs employers are struggling to fill.

Technician and trade worker jobs were the most likely to be in shortage, as well as nurses and early childhood teachers.

Overall, however, the total number of jobs in shortage has fallen three years in a row.

So which jobs are in shortage?

And does this list help decide who is able to migrate to Australia?

Here’s what you need to know.

Every year the Government’s jobs agency, Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), analyses which jobs are going unfilled.

It looks at how many vacancies are filled, how long they take to fill and how many qualified people apply.

A job is considered to be in shortage if fewer than two thirds of vacancies get filled.

Governments, training providers and industry groups use the data to decide how to allocate money for training and workforce support.

This year, 27% of the 1,021 occupations assessed were considered to be in a shortage. That’s down from 29% last year and a peak of 36% in 2023.

JSA says the fall fits with a cooling job market.

The unemployment rate is slightly higher than a year ago, so employers may find it easier to fill roles.

Trades are the most affected, with 48% of trade and technician jobs in shortage. That includes electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and mechanics.

More than a third (37%) of “professional” jobs are in shortage too, including registered nurses, GPs, psychologists and pilots.

Newly in shortage: swimming coaches, anaesthetists, tow truck drivers, tyre fitters, signwriters and air traffic controllers.

No longer in shortage: school principals, actors, train drivers and accountants.

The most common reason employers gave JSA is that applicants aren’t suitable, often because they lack experience.

For registered nurses, 63% of employers said applicants lacked experience.

The agency also says entry-level workers are finding it harder to land jobs to develop their experience.

The JSA also advises the Government on the list of jobs where employers can sponsor overseas workers. It’s called the Core Skills Occupation List.

The shortage list is one of two main things the agency looks at when deciding which jobs to recommend. The other is a wider mix of economic data and feedback from industry.

A Home Affairs spokesperson told TDA the list is “designed to complement the skills of the existing Australian workforce and meet changing workforce needs.”

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, we’re talking about why uni graduates are struggling to find work. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.

🎾 Sport is for everyone. Sign up to TDA Sport here for a full run-down in your inbox at 4.30pm.

Almost half of young Australian men believe people cannot freely express their political opinions, according to new research.

The 2026 McKinnon Index also found more than a quarter of men aged 18–24 believe violence can sometimes be justified to advance a cause.

The findings come as almost three-quarters of young men and women say Australia has become more divided over the past year.

Here’s what else the research found.

The McKinnon Index was first published in 2025 as an annual snapshot of Australia’s democratic health.

It measures public trust in politicians and government, how effectively the political system works and how Australians feel about participating in democracy.

The research is conducted by market researcher Roy Morgan, which surveyed 4,273 Australians aged 18 and over between June 19 and July 21 this year.

*The survey was conducted before the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines.

The Index covers trust in politicians, confidence in democracy and attitudes towards political expression.

McKinnon Executive Director of Democracy Tom Mooney said the findings around young men should be taken seriously, adding: “Every Australian should want to understand why and help turn it around.”

Key findings:

“Violence can sometimes be justified to advance a cause I care about.”

“I am confident I understand how democracy works.”

“Australia is more divided than 12 months ago.”

“People can freely express political opinions in Australia.”

TDA spoke to University of Sydney Professor Susan Heward-Belle, a leading researcher in domestic and family violence, about why young men are more likely than older Australians to believe violence can sometimes be justified.

“We can’t negate that really toxic influence of the online environment,” she said.

Heward-Belle said social media algorithms can repeatedly feed users content that promotes violence, potentially reinforcing those views.

UNSW Professor Gabriele Gratton said the findings reflect a broader global trend, with young people in established democracies increasingly questioning whether political systems can deliver for them.

“Young voters across established democracies are trusting less that democracy is a system of government that can deliver for them what it promises to deliver,” he said.

Gratton said it was “not hard to imagine” that young men and women were worried about an uncertain future and were “progressively losing faith in these institutions”.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

The room you spend the most time in probably deserves a bit more attention.

Ecosa makes that easy, with a range that goes well beyond mattresses. There's award-winning bamboo bedding, a Good Design Award-winning bed frame, sleepwear, storage and decor, plus curated bundles if you'd rather sort the lot at once.

Every bit of it is 30% off in the Sleep Frenzy Sale until 15 November, with fast, free metro shipping on eligible orders.

Consider it attention well spent.

Florida surgeon Dr Vipul Patel was 56 kilometres away from his patient when he performed the successful procedure on Sunday. A second surgeon was at the bedside of the 66-year-old man in case anything went wrong, and the hospital says the patient is doing well after the surgery.

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Remember the Dan Sullivan(s) competing against each other in the U.S. state of Alaska at the upcoming midterms? (Republican senator Dan S. Sullivan is fighting for re-election against Democrat Mary Peltola… and Dan J. Sullivan.)

Well, The New York Times has now alleged that Peltola’s office deliberately tried to convince multiple Dan Sullivans to run and even spent months recruiting candidates to draw votes away from the Republican Dan S. Sullivan.

Both Dan S. and Dan J. advanced to the general election after securing enough votes in earlier rounds.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.