Recruitment practices in Australia continue to evolve as employers draw on a wide range of methods to find the staff they need, from dominant digital tools such as online job boards to long‑standing informal approaches like word of mouth and direct contact from job seekers. This report examines the different methods and combinations used by employers, and identifies which methods were considered successful.

Evidence from the Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey shows that no single method works for all employers. Instead, recruitment choices are shaped by factors including occupation, industry, location and the difficulty of filling a vacancy. 

Key findings 

• Online job boards remain the most widely used and most successful recruitment method.
• Most employers rely on only one recruitment method to fill their vacancies.
• Informal recruitment methods remain highly effective, with word of mouth and direct approaches by job seekers achieving relatively high success rates across occupations and regions.
• Recruitment challenges are closely tied to skill level.
• Employers’ recruitment patterns differ significantly by industries and regions.
• Job seekers benefit from using multiple search strategies, including proactive approaches outside traditional application processes.