Quarterly Australian
Work Outlook
- September 2025
September 2025
The September 2025 quarter report shows employment confidence at a new high, with the Net Employment Intentions Index climbing to +48 (up from +38 in June) — the highest since the Australian Work Outlook surveys began in 2023. Recruitment is robust across sectors, with two-thirds of employers planning to hire this quarter. While some anticipate redundancies, strong recruitment activity is expected to offset job losses.
This quarter’s Focus explores strategic workforce planning, revealing that 57 per cent of organisations have a plan and nearly three-quarters expect AI to assist workforce planning over the coming three to five years.
Summary of Key Findings
The AHRI Net Employment Intentions Index signals a strong rise in hiring confidence jumping to +48 in September, from +38 in June.
Half of organisations plan to grow their workforce this quarter.
Redundancies are on the rise, with 27 per cent of employers planning cuts, up 3 percentage points since the June 2025 quarter.
Recruitment is increasing with 69 per cent of organisations hiring, up from 64 per cent in the June 2025 quarter.
Recruitment pressures are easing with only 33 per cent of organisations reporting challenges, down from 38 per cent in the June 2025 quarter.
More than a quarter of organisations expect their workforce to grow by over 10 per cent in the next five years.
Fifty-seven per cent of organisations have a strategic workforce plan, signalling a strong focus on aligning talent with future organisational needs.
Nine in 10 organisations say roles are at risk or set for major change within the next three to five years.
Nearly a third of organisations report that more than 20 per cent of workers are in roles at risk of disruption, highlighting the scale of change ahead.
The ‘5Rs effect’ emerges - Organisations managing recruitment, retention, reorganisation, reskilling and redundancy simultaneously.
The '5Rs Effect' Driving Change
Within five years, 27% of organisations expect their workforce to grow by more than 10%, according to AHRI’s research. Yet growth alone isn’t the full story. At the same time, workplaces are reshaping roles, reskilling employees and reorganising teams while facing ongoing recruitment and retention pressures.
Together, these dynamics are driving the Five Rs – recruitment, retention, reorganisation, reskilling and redundancy – influencing employers’ approach to workforce planning.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Madeleine Hanley
Head of Media Relations, FleishmanHillard
M +61 423 366 918 | E [email protected]