This paper examines the proportion of recruiting employers who reported having difficulty in filling their most recent vacancies, referred to as the ‘recruitment difficulty rate’, and how affects business performance. 

Key findings

• The majority of employers who experienced difficulty in their most recent recruitment rounds also encountered some form of negative impact on their business.
• The most commonly reported impacts by employers included negative impacts on existing staff and on business productivity, revenue, or the ability to meet demand.
• Employers in producing industries and those who most recently recruited for higher skill level occupations, were much more likely to experience recruitment difficulty and a negative impact on productivity, revenue, or the ability to meet demand.
• Employers who most recently recruited for community and personal service workers were, on average, the most likely to report a negative impact on their existing staff due to recruitment difficulties.