Data tables for “Employers’ Perspectives on Recruitment Difficulty, 2018” report:

Data tables from the Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences:

Note: The total sample size for the Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences is approximately
14,000 per year (14,514 in 2017 and 14,433 in 2018). The sample size in each table is the count of
respondents who answered that particular question. The sample size for the recruitment difficulty
question excludes employers who had not recruited in the previous 12 months.

a. Recruitment difficulty by State and Territory, 2018

Sample size Weighted proportion Weighted proportion
of employers who of employers who did
found their most not find their most
recent recruitment recent recruitment
round difficult round difficult
New South Wales 2509 50% 50%
Victoria 1958 48% 52%
Queensland 2050 40% 60%
South Australia 982 39% 61%
Western Australia 1464 38% 62%
Tasmania 609 37% 63%
Northern Territory 373 50% 50%
ACT 275 53% 47%
Australia 10220 45% 55%

b. Recruitment difficulty by State and Territory, 2017

Sample size Weighted proportion Weighted proportion
of employers who of employers who did
found their most not find their most
recent recruitment recent recruitment
round difficult round difficult
New South Wales 2,556 41% 59%
Victoria 1,827 36% 64%
Queensland 2,055 38% 62%
South Australia 978 37% 63%
Western Australia 1,586 32% 68%
Tasmania 509 35% 65%
Northern Territory 392 39% 61%
ACT 289 46% 54%
Australia 10,192 38% 62%
 c. Recruitment difficulty by 33 regional areas, 2018
Proportion of Proportion of
employers who employers who did
found their most not find their most
recent recent recruitment
recruitment round difficult
round difficult
Size
Ballarat 175 34% 66%
Barwon 173 39% 61%
Bendigo 172 38% 62%
Cairns 194 51% 49%
CDP (NT) 108 60% 40%
CDP (Qld) 113 61% 39%
CDP (WA) 271 44% 56%
Central West 185 50% 50%
Darling Downs 189 46% 54%
Far West Orana 201 40% 60%
Fitzroy 180 47% 53%
Geraldton 142 39% 61%
Gippsland 207 41% 59%
Gold Coast 187 32% 68%
Goulburn/Murray 231 44% 56%
Great Southern - Wheatbelt 167 41% 59%
Hunter 321 36% 64%
Illawarra South Coast 269 43% 57%
Kalgoorlie 141 58% 42%
Mackay 206 44% 56%
Mid North Coast 195 42% 58%
Mid North SA 143 37% 63%
Murray and South East 182 46% 54%
Murray Riverina 186 46% 54%
New England and North West 158 52% 48%
North and North Western Tasmania 327 35% 65%
North Coast 197 36% 64%
North West Country SA 152 41% 59%
South Coast of Victoria 182 35% 65%
South West WA 159 30% 70%
Townsville 221 48% 52%
Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast 279 34% 66%
Wimmera Mallee 197 38% 62%
 d. Recruitment difficulty by 33 regional areas, 2017
Proportion of employers Proportion of employers
who found their most who did not find their
recent recruitment most recent
round difficult recruitment round
difficult
Size
Ballarat 151 27% 73%
Barwon 177 32% 68%
Bendigo 143 31% 69%
Cairns 216 41% 59%
CDP (NT) 127 31% 69%
CDP (Qld) 117 38% 62%
CDP (WA) 229 35% 65%
Central West 201 37% 63%
Darling Downs 181 33% 67%
Far West Orana 152 30% 70%
Fitzroy 178 32% 68%
Geraldton 158 26% 74%
Gippsland 210 27% 73%
Gold Coast 202 37% 63%
Goulburn/Murray 234 35% 65%
Great Southern - Wheatbelt 169 33% 67%
Hunter 266 25% 75%
Illawarra South Coast 183 27% 73%
Kalgoorlie 129 53% 47%
Mackay 176 30% 70%
Mid North Coast 215 32% 68%
Mid North SA 117 22% 78%
Murray and South East 176 37% 63%
Murray Riverina 209 41% 59%
New England and North West 191 47% 53%
North and North Western
Tasmania 247 31% 69%
North Coast 215 35% 65%
North West Country SA 144 31% 69%
South Coast of Victoria 189 33% 67%
South West WA 198 24% 76%
Townsville 262 45% 55%
Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast 200 27% 73%
Wimmera Mallee 191 41% 59%
 e. Recruitment difficulty by capital city, 2018
Sample size Weighted proportion Weighted proportion
of employers who of employers who
found their most found their most
recent recruitment recent recruitment
round difficult round difficult
Sydney 567 51% 49%
Melbourne 661 48% 52%
Brisbane 498 37% 63%
Adelaide 409 41% 59%
Perth 431 38% 62%
Hobart 237 42% 58%
Darwin 195 48% 52%
Canberra 275 53% 47%

f. Recruitment difficulty by capital city, 2017

Sample size Weighted proportion Weighted proportion
of employers who of employers who
found their most found their most
recent recruitment recent recruitment
round difficult round difficult
Sydney 778 47% 53%
Melbourne 574 37% 63%
Brisbane 535 36% 64%
Adelaide 451 37% 63%
Perth 549 31% 69%
Hobart 227 42% 58%
Darwin 219 39% 61%
Canberra 289 46% 54%

g. Recruitment difficulty by occupation group, 2018

Weighted Weighted proportion
proportion of of employers who did
employers who not find their most
found their most recent recruitment
recent recruitment round difficult
Sample round difficult
Occupation size
Managers 367 56% 44%
Professionals 1241 49% 51%
Technicians and Trades Workers 1954 63% 37%
Community and Personal Service
Workers 1539 41% 59%
Clerical and Administrative Workers 1238 31% 69%
Sales Workers 1515 33% 67%
Machinery Operators and Drivers 947 52% 48%
Labourers 1420 40% 60%
 h. Recruitment difficulty by occupation group, 2017
Weighted Weighted proportion
proportion of of employers who did
employers who not find their most
found their most recent recruitment
recent recruitment round difficult
Sample round difficult
Occupation size
Managers 410 39% 61%
Professionals 1334 41% 59%
Technicians and Trades Workers 1762 57% 43%
Community and Personal Service
Workers 1492 35% 65%
Clerical and Administrative Workers 1388 27% 73%
Sales Workers 1487 30% 70%
Machinery Operators and Drivers 853 35% 65%
Labourers 1466 32% 68%

i.Proportion of employers with difficulty who filled their vacancies, 2018

Weighted Weighted proportion
proportion of of employers who did
employers who not fill all their most
Sample filled all their most vacancies
size recent vacancies
Employers who reported difficulty 4370 76% 24%

Qualitative research results:

Note: All employers in the qualitative research had reported difficulty recruiting.

j. Proportion of employers with difficulty who cited technical skills or qualification

requirements of the vacancy
Proportion of employers Proportion of employers
with difficulty who cited with difficulty who did
technical skills or not cite technical skills
qualification or qualification
requirements of the requirements of the
vacancy vacancy
Sample
size
All employers 52 67% 33%
 k. Proportion of employers recruiting for lower skilled occupations who cited
applicants lacking interest or employability skills

Proportion of employers
recruiting who cited
applicants lacking
interest or employability
Sample skills
size
Employers recruiting for lower
skilled occupations 29
Proportion of employers
recruiting who did not
cite applicants lacking
interest or
employability skills
62% 38%

l.
Proportion of employers who said it was more difficult than in previous years
Proportion of employers Proportion of employers
who said it was more who said it was not
Sample difficult than previous more difficult than
size years previous years
All employers 38 47% 53%
Note: Some employers did not indicate whether it was more or less difficult than the previous year.