Hiring in Queensland looks the opposite to NSW and Victoria...
Here’s what AWX is seeing
The market hasn't given anyone a breather in the last 5 - 10 years - candidates who were easier to find six months ago have gone quiet and roles that would wrap up quickly are dragging on longer than anyone budgeted for.
Here's the thing, it's not one market doing this. It's several and they're behaving completely differently depending on where you are. AWX National Recruitment Manager Rob O'Sullivan works across the country and he's got a clear read on what's actually going on, noting markable differences between what’s happening in Queensland versus New South Wales and Victoria.
In Victoria and New South Wales, there’s a large volume of candidates applying but finding the right fit takes more work than it did a year ago. Decision making has slowed on both sides, clients are more cautious, candidates are being more selective and cost pressures are making everyone think twice.
“We’re seeing roles fall over more often at the decision stage than at the sourcing stage,” Rob said. “Experienced candidates are still there, but they won’t wait indefinitely.”
Queensland is a completely different beast. The work is there, but the people to fill it aren't.
“The biggest difference is how tight supply really is in Queensland, especially in trades and civil. Demand hasn’t softened, the supply is just locked up,” said Rob.
“Anyone with the right licences, tickets and site experience is already on a site somewhere. They're not browsing job ads, they're waiting for something worth moving for.”
What does the data say?
SEEK’s April 2026 national report across Construction, Trades and Services and Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics backs up exactly what Rob and the AWX team are seeing on the ground and with national unemployment sitting at 4.3%, it’s not the same story everywhere you look.
In NSW and Victoria, applications are running at roughly two to three times the number of jobs, which aligns with what we’re seeing (See example in figure1). There's no shortage of volume, but quality is the real challenge. The work is in cutting through the noise to find the right fit.
Over in Queensland it's completely reversed. Job ads are almost double the number of applications and applications remain low. The people with the right tickets and site experience are already on a site somewhere and they're just not applying. This points to a supply problem, not a demand one and businesses are having to compete to get them across the line.
(Figure 1. AWX X SEEK Trades and Services Bespoke Employment Trendline Report)
What this means for how you hire
Different states require different hiring strategies and getting that wrong is where many businesses are losing time and candidates which impacts the bottom line.
Victoria and New South Wales
“In Victoria and NSW it’s about cutting through the volume and focusing on quality to find the right candidates which means the work is now in faster screening, alignment and decision making,” Rob said.
That means:
- Clearer role briefs and expectations upfront
- Tighter shortlisting to avoid unnecessary delays
- Faster client turnaround once candidates are presented
Roles that sit with a hiring manager for too long slow things down and mean you’re handing candidates to whoever moves faster.
Queensland
Waiting for the right person to apply isn't a strategy when the people you need are already on a site somewhere. Rob and his team are working upstream, getting in front of candidates before a role is even live.
“We’re proactively engaging people who aren’t actively applying, because that’s where the gap is,” Rob explained. “It’s about going wider and earlier than you might traditionally look, then relying on referrals once opportunities start to land.”
Across all states, one thing holds. Clients who come to the table with fixed ideas about rates or timelines that don't reflect where the market is will keep losing candidates at offer stage. Having those conversations early is saving AWX clients a lot of wasted time.
Why AWX is built to handle any changing market
Localised and national teams
The approach Rob described is only possible because of how AWX is structured. Most recruitment businesses are either local or national and you end up having to choose between the two, whereas AWX offers the best of both worlds. With AWX you get people who know your industry, the trades and exactly what it takes to find the right person for the job, backed by the scale and national reach that a local operator alone just can't match.
“What underpins all of this is how we operate. We’ve built a centralised recruitment team with a national lens, but it works closely with our local teams who understand their markets, clients and sites,” said Rob.
Speed to market
When supply tightens in Queensland, AWX isn't starting from scratch. Rob's team is already across a pool of over 400,000 candidates across the country, knowing their skills, availability and in a lot of cases their history on site. When a role needs filling fast and the right person isn't going to just walk in, that's a solid head start.
Understand your business
The relationships AWX has built with clients also means they can see demand coming before it becomes urgent. When you’re embedded in a business and know how it moves across seasons, projects and peaks, AWX can start conversations with candidates before a formal request even arrives.
"We can see trends across states, move talent where it's needed and still get the local detail right. In a market like this, that balance between national reach and local expertise is really important." Rob mentioned.
The businesses that back themselves and adjust how they hire to match what's happening will be the ones with the right people on the tools when it counts. Lucky for you, Rob and the AWX team are already working on it.
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