Australia’s education workforce shows signs of stability but under-hiring may mask deeper pressures

Australia’s Education and Training sector is showing early signs of recovery in workforce stability, according to a new report by recruitment platform JobAdder, draws on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics* and Jobs and Skills Australia. It analyses job vacancy patterns over an 18-month period, from November 2023 to May 2025, revealing that many industries are not just struggling to hire but keeping staff in long-term roles.

With a vacancy ratio of 9.7 per 1,000 workers and a 10.3% decline in vacancies, Education and Training was one of the few industries showing an improving trend. However, JobAdder warns that the apparent rebound could be misleading, citing a potential under-hiring trend, particularly in the public sector, that may be obscuring frontline burnout and long-term retention challenges.

However, JobAdder’s Talent Acquisition Lead Victoria Cleghorn warned that headline figures may obscure more complex realities.

“Not all vacancies reflect growth. When the same roles remain unfilled for 12 months or more, it’s a sign of a deeper disconnect between the job and what workers can realistically sustain,” Ms Cleghorn said.

She noted that persistent vacancies, particularly in frontline teaching roles, can indicate underlying retention problems rather than successful recruitment strategies.

“Recruitment alone can’t fix workforce conditions, but it can spark the right conversations,” she added.

The data suggests that while education is showing encouraging signs of stability, the sector cannot afford complacency. The apparent improvement may reflect reduced hiring rather than long-term workforce resilience.

Australia’s workforce challenges are multi-layered. For education, a declining vacancy rate may suggest progress, but the lived experience of teachers and the strain on public systems point to ongoing pressures that need policy attention.

For methodology details and further insights, see the JobAdder Workforce Pressure Report.

“Persistent vacancies, especially when coupled with weak turnover growth, are a proxy for deeper retention issues. This framework helps differentiate between hiring driven by business growth and long-term structural shortages.”

The analysis categorised 18 Australian industries by hiring pressure, with Education and Training falling into the ‘Low Hiring Pressure’ bracket. This contrasts sharply with sectors like Healthcare and Public Administration, which were deemed to be in ‘Critical Structural Shortage’ due to persistently high vacancies and weak business turnover growth.

As education leaders and policymakers continue to grapple with teacher supply and demand, JobAdder’s findings suggest that recruitment efforts may be working, but sustainability and retention strategies must remain front and centre.

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