The latest Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey (REOS) Recruitment Insights Report for November 2024, released today, uncovers developments in Australia's labour market.
The national recruitment rate rose slightly this month, up by 1 percentage point, with 43% of employers actively hiring. The period around November is often associated with seasonal recruitment for the shopping and holiday season.
Recruitment activity was stronger in regional Australia, with 50% of employers either hiring or looking for staff this month, compared with 40% across the capital cities.
In line with overall trends across 2024, recruitment difficulty eased by 2 percentage points in November 2024. While the labour market remains strong and resilient, employers are finding it easier to secure talent.
There was a large fall in recruitment difficulty in regional Australia this month, reversing the large increase in the previous month. Unusually, this (coupled with an increase in recruitment difficulty in the capital cities), means that regional employers had less difficulty hiring staff than those based in the capital cities in November. However, this may not be sustained going forward.
Employer confidence in expanding their workforce dipped, with just 18% planning to increase staff—3 percentage point lower than at the same time last year. On the other hand, the proportion of employers whose vacancies went unfilled after a month rose by 4 percentage points, to 48%.
