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Office worker in the UK eyeing Australia? AI redundancies there are now a weekly event

News · 2026-10-07 · 5 min read

If you work in an office in the UK and picture a fresh start in Sydney or Melbourne, it is worth knowing what is happening to desk jobs there. Employment lawyers in Australia say they now take on cases of white-collar workers replaced by artificial intelligence every week. At the same time, a survey suggests one in three Australians wish they had picked a different career.

Which desk jobs are feeling it

One employment law specialist described these redundancies as fairly common now, and said lawyers were not even thinking about them two years ago. The roles hit hardest are copywriting, coding, data analytics and administration, because AI can now do at least some of that work.

Her view is that Australia has a cushion, as it has a high number of physical, hands-on jobs, but that the country is not ready for a major shift. She expects unions to push in coming enterprise agreement talks for clauses that stop staff being replaced by AI, or for bigger redundancy payments when it happens. Last year the media union reached a deal with an independent publisher stating that AI would not replace its people. She also thinks Australia is behind the US on AI adoption and likely to wait and see, which gives it a chance to watch the effects there first.

How Australian workers feel

• about half of those surveyed have not yet felt AI affect their work
• 32 per cent would have chosen a different career had they known how widespread AI would become
• about 40 per cent do not feel prepared for big changes

The argument over regulation

An independent senator for the ACT has accused the federal government of taking a light-touch approach to AI. He says thousands of jobs have already gone and many more are at risk, and accepts that AI pushing unemployment to 10 per cent is not out of the question if the technology moves too fast. He backs a National Artificial Intelligence Act, which the government has decided not to pursue, preferring voluntary expectations for the industry. He doubts those can rein in large technology companies.

A business academic in Sydney added that Australia may have left its workforce exposed without realising, because office jobs have grown while industries such as manufacturing have shrunk. White-collar employment in the US also fell in 2025, with big staff cuts at some of the world's largest companies.

Canberra stays upbeat about AI

The government is upbeat about AI's potential to lift productivity and living standards. Its National AI Plan aims to spread the benefits while keeping people safe, and it says secure, ongoing work is central, supported by AI and digital skills and real consultation with workers.

Early figures from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations suggest AI has not yet sped up changes in the shape of the workforce, though the government calls these observations rather than predictions. It has been building ways to track the labour market since ChatGPT launched in late 2022, with a focus on entry-level roles, and last year it moved to set up an AI Safety Institute. In March it published expectations for data centres and AI infrastructure, covering the national interest, the energy transition, sustainable water use, Australian skills and jobs, and local research and capability. Recent weeks have also brought a $25 billion investment in AI infrastructure and skills in Australia from a major technology company.

Reading this as a UK job hunter

None of this means desk jobs in Australia are vanishing. It does suggest two sensible moves. First, if you work in an office role, show the parts of your work AI cannot easily do: judgement, client relationships, managing people and projects. Build AI CV can help you bring those strengths to the top of your CV.

Second, if you have a trade, Australia's large number of hands-on jobs is a point in your favour. UK trade qualifications such as an NVQ or a completed apprenticeship are usually assessed again in Australia, so check what your trade needs on the Department of Home Affairs visa listing.

If New Zealand is also on your list, our side-by-side on whether to move to Australia or New Zealand from the UK compares the work routes, driving, health cover and pensions.

Plumbers have an extra step: see why OSAP and a state licence are two separate hurdles for UK plumbers in Australia.

If you are an electrician, our guide to moving from the UK to Australia as an electrician explains the OSAP skills assessment and the state licence steps.

Before you rely on an NVQ or apprenticeship, check which Australian body assesses your trade: our guide to skills assessment for Australia from the UK walks through the TRA programmes.

For more, read why skilled migration routes matter more as AI reshapes office work and why trades are a strong route into Australia, or browse jobs in Australia for UK citizens.

#ai #office jobs #australia #redundancy #careers #jobs in australia for uk citizens