Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey
Key indicators - February 2023
Recruitment activity
The REOS data shows that some 55% of surveyed employers recruited in February 2023, the same proportion as last month, but down from the recent peak of 59% recorded in July 2022.
-
- In Capital Cities, 54% of employers recruited in February 2023, one percentage point less than 12 months ago (55% in February 2022).
- Some 58% of employers in Rest of State areas recruited in the past month, a 4 percentage point increase on 12 months ago (54% in February 2022).
Proportion of employers who were currently recruiting or who had recruited in the past month
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey, February 2023.
Recruitment difficulty
Recruitment difficulty rose to 61% of recruiting employers (or 34% of all employers) in the past month, an increase of 5 percentage points since January 2023, but 3 percentage points less than in February 2022 (64%). This is 14 percentage points lower than the record high of 75% in July 2022.
-
- 59% of recruiting employers in Capital Cities reported recruitment difficulty in February 2023, 3 percentage points lower than in February 2022 (62%).
- In Rest of State areas, some 64% of recruiting employers had difficulty recruiting. This was 2 percentage points lower than in February 2022 (66%).
Proportion of recruiting employers who had recruitment difficulty
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey, February 2023.
Staffing outlook
Some 27% of employers expected to increase their staffing levels in the next three months. This was 3 percentage points higher than in January 2023, and 6 percentage points lower than 12 months ago (33%).
-
- The proportion of employers who expected to decrease staffing rose by one percentage point to 3% in February 2023.
Proportion of employers expecting to increase staffing levels over the next 3 months
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey, February 2023.
Selected quarterly results
Quarterly results are released in the December, March, June and September editions of the Recruitment Insights Report. Below are some results from the most recent quarter (December 2022 quarter).
Recruitment rate by selected industries
- Accommodation and Food Services (72%) and Health Care and Social Assistance (65%) had the highest recruitment rates in the December 2022 quarter.
- The lowest recruitment rates were for Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (41%) and Wholesale Trade (50%).
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey, December quarter 2022
Recruitment difficulty by selected industries
- Recruitment difficulty was highest for Construction (80%) and lowest for Retail Trade (62%) in the December 2022 quarter.
- Recruitment difficulty was much higher in the current quarter than it was at the same time last year. The largest difference was for Construction (+ 21 percentage points), followed by Wholesale Trade (+ 18 percentage points). The smallest changes were in Accommodation and Food Services (+ 4 percentage points) and Health Care and Social Assistance (+ 1 percentage point).
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey, December quarter 2022
Recruitment Insights Report - February 2023
Spotlight: Recruitment difficulty when hiring Hospitality Workers
The Recruitment Insights Report highlights key findings and trends in recruitment activity, recruitment difficulty and future staffing expectations. Each report is accompanied by an excel datafile containing time series data for each key indicator. This month's spotlight examines employers who recently had difficulty recruiting for Hospitality Workers. Download the PDF below to read more.
Methodology
Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) conducts the Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey (REOS) to monitor recruitment activity and conditions across Australia.
The REOS surveys employers across Australia, and up to 14,000 businesses respond to the survey throughout the year.
The survey collects information on employer recruitment activity, recruitment difficulty and staffing outlook – all important indicators to help policy makers and analysts to monitor and understand current and emerging labour market conditions. Data are released as close to collection as possible, providing an almost real-time view of recruitment activity across Australia.
The REOS questionnaire continually evolves to stay current with changes in the Australian labour market that directly impact on businesses and their recruitment.
For more information on the survey methodology, key concepts used in the survey and to view the questionnaire, see the paper:
Contact Details
For information on the REOS survey email REOS@jobsandskills.gov.au or telephone 1800 059 439.
For information on the Recruitment Insight Reports email REOS@jobsandskills.gov.au