Recruitment activity and recruitment difficulty ease in April

April’s Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey (REOS) Insights Report reveals that there was an easing in recruitment activity in April, with fewer employers recruiting and lower levels of difficulty in filling roles; as well as a 10-percentage point decline in employers expecting to increase their staffing levels in the next 3 months.

In April, 50% of employers were recruiting, an easing of 5 percentage points from the previous month. April’s recruitment rate is comparable to levels recorded at the end of 2021. A higher proportion of employers in regional or ‘rest-of-state’ areas recruited during April (53%), than their capital city counterparts (48%).

Overall, recruitment difficulty eased by 2 percentage points to 62% (representing 31% of all employers). However, employers in capital cities had less difficulty recruiting staff (59% - a drop of 6 percentage points), compared to rest of state areas where recruitment difficulty increased by 2 percentage points to 66%.

20% of employers expect to increase staffing levels in the next 3 months, which is a 10-percentage point decrease from last month. This is the sharpest monthly decrease since the series started in April 2020 and the lowest monthly result since August 2021. This decline was also evident across smaller and larger employers, as well as in capital cities and rest-of-state areas.