45% of Recruiting Australian Employers Struggled to Fill Roles

Nearly half of Australian employers trying to hire could not fill their roles in the September quarter of 2026. New data from Jobs and Skills Australia puts the figure at 45% of recruiting employers reporting difficulty, up three percentage points from 42% a year earlier. The squeeze deepened even as fewer businesses recruited at all, with the share of employers hiring falling three points to 47%.

The numbers come from the Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey (REOS), released by Jobs and Skills Australia. For talent acquisition teams, the message is stark. A shrinking pool of recruiters is competing for an increasingly scarce supply of skilled workers, and the vacancies that matter most are staying open longest.

Where is the hiring pain sharpest?

Technicians and Trades Workers sit at the center of the shortage. Some 65% of employers recruiting for these roles reported difficulty, up three points over the year. The problem does not end there. Sixty percent of these employers said their vacancies had stayed unfilled for more than a month, a rise of five points.

The report was blunt in its assessment. "Recruitment challenges remained most acute for Technicians and Trades Workers," it stated. According to JSA, this was "the highest result across all major occupation groups on both measures."

Professionals present a growing challenge too. Difficulty hiring for these roles rose five points to 50%. Sales Workers saw the steepest annual climb of any group, up 10 points to 34%. One category moved the other way. Clerical and Administrative Workers recorded a six-point fall in difficulty, down to 29%.

Which industries and regions are hit hardest?

The goods-producing sector carries the heaviest burden. Manufacturing reported the highest recruitment difficulty of any industry, at 58% and up six points. Construction followed, unchanged at 56%. The report said these results suggested "ongoing hiring challenges in parts of the goods-producing sector."

Accommodation and Food Services told the opposite story. The industry posted the highest recruitment rate at 66%. It also recorded the lowest difficulty rate among surveyed industries, at 26%. Hospitality employers are hiring heavily and finding workers with relative ease.

Geography shapes the picture as well. In Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote Australia, 53% of recruiting employers reported difficulty, up four points. The rate stood at 49% in Inner Regional Australia and 42% in major cities.

"Labour market conditions remained comparatively stronger outside major cities," the report read. "Employers in these areas were also the most likely to expect staff growth over the next three months (21%)."

The state-level detail matters for employers planning regional hiring strategies. Queensland recorded the highest recruitment difficulty, at 49%. New South Wales saw the largest increase among the states, up five points to 47%. Western Australia was the only state where difficulty eased, falling three points to 46%.

What does this mean for employer planning?

The forward indicators point to a cautious market. Just 19% of employers expected to increase staff over the next three months, down four points from a year earlier. Only 3% expected to reduce their workforce. Most employers plan to hold headcount steady while grappling with persistent vacancy pain in specific skill categories.

The data carries methodological limits worth noting. The REOS is a telephone survey of at least 1,000 employers each month, targeting businesses with five or more employees. JSA cautioned that results may be subject to seasonal factors and other volatility, and should therefore be used with a degree of caution.

For HR leaders, the practical takeaway is a tale of two labor markets. White-collar administrative hiring is getting easier. Skilled trades and professional hiring is not, and regional employers face the steepest obstacles of all. The next REOS release will show whether the trades squeeze tightens further or whether the broader slowdown in recruitment eases the pressure.