59% of Hiring is Just to Replace Staff: What the Latest Employment Data Means for Your Business.

Recruitment activity is on the rise, but it might not mean what you think. For many businesses, it isn’t about growing the workforce. It’s about maintaining it.

The latest data from Jobs and Skills Australia’s August 2026 Recruitment Insights Report shows that 59% of employers recruiting are doing so solely to replace staff who have left, while just 32% are recruiting for new positions.

When someone leaves, the role still needs to be filled. Work still needs to be done, teams still need to perform and existing employees can end up carrying the additional workload while a replacement is found.

And with 45% of recruiting employers reporting difficulty hiring, finding the right person isn’t always straightforward.

For businesses already managing workforce pressure, getting recruitment right matters. It’s not just about filling a vacancy, it’s about finding people who are suited to the role, the workplace and the needs of the business.

Here’s what the latest data tells us about the current recruitment environment, and what it means for employers.

Recruitment is moving, but businesses remain cautious

In August, half of employers surveyed were recruiting or had recently recruited, an increase from the previous month.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean businesses are expanding their workforce.

Of the employers recruiting, 59% were hiring solely to replace staff who had left, compared with 32% who were recruiting only for new positions.

For businesses already operating with tight teams, replacing someone isn’t simply a recruitment task. It can affect workloads, productivity and the pressure placed on supervisors and existing employees.

This is where recruitment becomes about more than filling a position. It’s about maintaining the workforce you already have.

Finding people is still proving difficult

Recruitment activity may be picking up, but finding the right people remains a challenge.

In August, 45% of employers recruiting reported difficulty hiring, while more than a third of recruiting employers had vacancies that had remained unfilled for more than a month.

For businesses operating in manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, transport and trades, an unfilled role can have a direct impact on the wider workforce.

Work still needs to be covered. Supervisors can carry additional pressure. Existing teams may be stretched while a suitable person is found.

And when that pressure builds, it can be tempting to pick someone simply to fill the role and move on.

But that’s not always the answer.

A quick placement that isn’t the right fit can lead to the same vacancy being open again a few weeks or months later, putting the business back where it started.

That’s why recruitment needs to look beyond whether someone is available to start. The right person needs to have the skills, experience and approach required for the role, while also fitting into the working environment.

For IRP, that’s an important distinction. The goal isn’t simply to fill the vacancy. It’s to make a placement that works for the business and the person coming into the role.

What this means for employers

The August data paints a fairly clear picture: businesses are still hiring, but they’re being deliberate about it.

For employers, that means having a clear understanding of workforce requirements, access to suitable candidates and a recruitment process that doesn’t lose good people along the way.

This is where IRP’s approach comes in.

Our 5-Step Approach is built around understanding the business and its workforce before making a placement. Rather than treating recruitment as a simple process of matching a candidate to a vacancy, we take the time to understand the role, the workplace and what the business needs from its people.

Being on site is an important part of that. It gives us a first-hand understanding of the environment, the role and the team, so we can have better conversations with candidates and make more informed placements.

We also follow up after placement. This gives us the opportunity to identify any issues early and make sure the placement is delivering what the client needs.

For businesses dealing with workforce pressure, that can make the difference between simply filling a vacancy and making a placement that lasts.

Because finding someone is only the start.

Do they settle into the team?
Do they understand what’s expected?
Are they performing?
And, most importantly, do they stay?

Because finding the right person is only the start. What matters is what happens after they walk through the door.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment Insights Report – August 2026.