A record high level of recruitment activity has been recorded by the National Skills Commission’s February 2022 Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey.

The February 2022 results show that recruitment activity reached a new peak of 53%, an increase of 11 percentage points since January 2022 and above the previous peak of 51% in December 2021. The strong level of recruitment activity is consistent with trends seen in the NSC’s Internet Vacancy Index (IVI).

Across the States, recruitment activity was highest in Western Australia (59%) and Victoria (58%).

The rate of recruitment difficulty stands at 62% of recruiting employers (representing 33% of total employers). While this is a decrease from the spike of 68% in January 2022, it is still the third highest monthly result on record, suggesting that many employers are currently struggling to fill their vacancies at a time when the unemployment rate is at its lowest level since August 2008.

Future demand for workers is likely to be strong as well, with one third of employers expecting to increase staff numbers over the next 3 months - another record high result this month.

This month’s Spotlight provides further insight into recruitment difficulty. It outlines how the recruitment difficulty rate is derived and shows to what extent employers with difficulty are actually able to fill their vacancies. It also outlines the reasons employers give for their recruitment difficulty.

The report can be viewed in full at labourmarketinsights.gov.au.