Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey

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    Jobs and Skills Australia surveys around 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.

    Due to operational reasons, no interviewing was undertaken in January 2026. Therefore, January 2026 results are not available in the associated data file and the monthly changes were omitted from the report.

    Recruitment Insights Report

    Each month, the Recruitment Insights Report (RIR) presents data collected from the REOS. Information is provided at a national, capital city and rest of state level for recruitment activity, difficulty, staffing outlook, reasons for recruiting and more. Download the full report for more information.

    February 2026 overview:

    Recruitment activity Recruitment difficulty Expect to increase staff

    51%

    43%

    21%

    Annual change: +2% pts Annual change: 0% pts Annual change: +1% pt

    Downloads

    Recruitment Insights Report - February 2026

    recruitment_insights_report_-_february_2026.docx440306

    Download

    Recruitment Insights Report - February 2026

    recruitment_insights_report_-_february_2026.pdf656017

    Download

    Recruitment Insights Report - February 2026 data file

    recruitment_insights_report_-_february_2026_data_file.xlsx111333

    Download
    March data

    Coming April 2026

    Additional research

    Contact

    For information on the REOS survey or the Recruitment Insights Reports email REOS@jobsandskills.gov.au or telephone 1800 059 439 (REOS survey enquiries only).