September 3, 2026

Ep 334 – What Recruiters Need to Know Right Now with SEEK Chief Economist Blair Chapman

The Australian jobs market is slow, tougher and uncertain right now. But what does that actually mean for us as recruiters?

Iโ€™m joined by SEEK Chief Economist Blair Chapman to cut through the headlines and look at what the data is really telling us about the Australian employment market.

Employment is still growing, but at a much slower rate than weโ€™ve become accustomed to. Job switching is at historic lows, candidates are more hesitant to move, businesses are watching costs and some sectors are facing a much tougher outlook than others.

But itโ€™s certainly not all doom and gloom. There are still pockets of strong demand, and some major demographic shifts could create significant opportunities for recruiters over the next five years.

We cover:

๐Ÿ‘‰ Why employment growth has slowed and what that means for recruiters
๐Ÿ‘‰ The industries currently doing it toughest
๐Ÿ‘‰ Where Blair is seeing stronger demand and growth opportunities
๐Ÿ‘‰ Whatโ€™s happening with advertised salaries
๐Ÿ‘‰ Why job switching could be one of the most important numbers for recruiters to watch
๐Ÿ‘‰ How AI and offshoring are affecting the employment market
๐Ÿ‘‰ What needs to happen before the market really turns a corner
๐Ÿ‘‰ Why Australiaโ€™s ageing workforce could create a huge replacement market
๐Ÿ‘‰ The labour market indicators Iโ€™d be watching if I were running a recruitment agency

Thereโ€™s a lot of noise around the jobs market right now. Blair brings the numbers, but more importantly, helps translate those numbers into what they could actually mean for your recruitment desk.

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