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Introduction
Jobs and Skills Australia surveys at least 1000 employers each month to find out about their experience when recruiting staff as well as whether they are expecting to increase staffing levels. This feedback provides insights about labour market conditions and helps in developing resources designed to help job seekers understand what employers are looking for.
Key indicators - October 2023
| Recruitment activity | Recruitment difficulty rate | Expect to increase staff |
|---|---|---|
|
49% |
56% |
20% |
| Monthly change: 0% pts Yearly change: -9% pts |
Monthly change: -3% pts Yearly change: -14% pts |
Monthly change: -5% pts Yearly change: -11% pts |
October 2023 REOS results indicate that recruitment activity has eased significantly since peaking in mid-2022. The new REOS smoothed series (see charts overleaf) indicates the steep decline in the recruitment rate between mid-2022 and mid-2023 has now flattened with little change recorded during recent months. On the other hand, smoothed recruitment difficulty has continued to ease in recent months.
In October 2023, 49% of employers recruited, the same proportion as last month, and 9 percentage points less than in October last year.
- In Capital Cities, 47% of employers recruited in October 2023, 2 percentage points lower than last month and 11 percentage points lower than a year ago.
- The recruitment rate was 54% in Rest of State areas, 5 percentage points higher than last month but 4 percentage points lower than this time last year.
Proportion of employers who were currently recruiting or who had recruited in the past month
Source: Recruitment Outlook and Experiences Survey, October 2023.
Recruitment difficulty
Recruitment difficulty eased by 3 percentage points in October 2023, with 56% per cent of recruiting employers having difficulty recruiting staff. The recruitment difficulty rate is currently 14 percentage points lower than October 2022.
- In Capital Cities, 55% of recruiting employers had recruitment difficulty, 1 percentage point lower than last month and 12 percentage points lower than a year ago.
- Recruitment difficulty in Rest of State areas eased by 7 percentage points from last month to 59% (16 percentage points lower than October last year).
Proportion of recruiting employers who had recruitment difficulty
Source: Recruitment Outlook and Experiences Survey, October 2023.
Staffing outlook
The proportion of employers expecting to increase their staff in the next three months eased by 5 percentage points to 20% in October 2023. Only 2% of employers were expecting their staffing levels to decrease.
Proportion of employers expecting to increase staffing levels over the next 3 months
Source: Recruitment Outlook and Experiences Survey, October 2023.
Downloads
Recruitment Insights Report - monthly
Upcoming release:
November 2023 REOS Recruitment Insights Report - 19 December 2023
Recruitment Insights Report - September 2023
Recruitment Insights Report - September 2023.pdf238082
DownloadRecruitment Insights Report - August 2023
recruitment_insights_report_-_august_2023.pdf279164
DownloadRecruitment Insights Report - April 2023
recruitment_insights_report_-_april_2023.pdf342074
DownloadRecruitment Insights Report - March 2023
recruitment_insights_report_-_march_2023.pdf321562
DownloadRecruitment Insights Report - February 2023
Recruitment Insights Report - February 2023.pdf455342
DownloadRecruitment Insights Report - January 2023
Recruitment Insights Report - January 2023.pdf1052507
DownloadRecruitment Insights Report - December 2022
recruitment_insights_report_-_december_2022.pdf355751
DownloadRecruitment Insights Report - November 2022
Recruitment Insights Report - November 2022.pdf383271
DownloadSpotlight articles
Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey: September quarter 2023 results
The REOS September quarter 2023 report provides a detailed breakdown of REOS survey results across the states and territories, remoteness areas, industry and occupation.
The report shows that recruitment activity has softened across all states and territories compared with a year ago, with widespread declines in the recruitment rate and recruitment difficulty rate over this period. The largest annual decline in the recruitment rate over the year was recorded in Victoria (down by 17 percentage points).
Upcoming release:
Spotlight release - 4 December 2023
Recruitment Spotlight - Employers greatest concerns for the future - October 2023
reos_spotlight_-_employers_greatest_concerns_for_the_future_october_2023.pdf258223
DownloadRecruitment difficulty for Hospitality Workers - February 2023
Recruitment difficulty for Hospitality Workers (February 2023).pdf244099
DownloadRecruitment Spotlight - Employers unrealised vacancies - September 2023
recruitment_spotlight_-_employers_unrealised_vacancies_-_september_2023.pdf283511
DownloadEmployers Who Hired a Jobless Applicant - November 2022
employers-who-hired-a-jobless-applicant.pdf227799
DownloadRecruitment patterns for entry level vacancies - August 2023
Recruitment patterns for entry level vacancies - August 2023.pdf359497
DownloadRecruitment Spotlight - Recent trends in recruitment difficulty - June 2023
recruitment_spotlight_-_recent_trends_in_recruitment_difficulty.pdf807493
DownloadRecruitment Conditions in Capital Cities and Rest of State Areas - April 2023
recruitment_conditions_in_capital_cities_and_rest_of_state_areas_-_april_2023.pdf283521
DownloadSpotlights prior to November 2022 are available at Recruitment insights | Labour Market Insights.
