Australian talent report 2026: the top 5 roles and how long they take to fill

Australian employers take about five weeks to make a hire. Here are the five roles we see moved offshore most, and how local and offshore time to fill compare.

The Australian labour market has cooled, but hiring is still slow. There were about 325,000 job vacancies in August 2026, down 1.3% on a year earlier, and white-collar demand is softening fastest: vacancies in professional, scientific and technical services fell 17.3% in the quarter (ABS). Yet 45% of recruiting employers still report difficulty filling roles (Jobs and Skills Australia, March quarter 2026), and a permanent hire now takes about five weeks on average (Robert Half, December 2025).

The headline numbers

• 325,000 job vacancies in August 2026, down 0.9% in the quarter and 1.3% over the year (ABS).
• Financial and insurance services vacancies up 14.1% in the quarter; professional services down 17.3% (ABS).
• 29% of occupations were in shortage in 2025, down from 33% in 2024 (Jobs and Skills Australia).
• 45% of recruiting employers had difficulty filling roles in the March quarter 2026 (Jobs and Skills Australia).
• About five weeks to make a permanent hire; 31% of employers take six weeks or more (Robert Half). Median 32 days from application to signed offer (SmartRecruiters).

The top 5 roles Australian businesses move offshore

1. Software developers and engineers. Best-fit hubs: India, Philippines, Colombia.
2. Accountants and bookkeepers. Best-fit hubs: Philippines, India.
3. Customer service and support. Best-fit hubs: Philippines, South Africa.
4. Cyber security and IT support. Best-fit hubs: India, Philippines.
5. Payroll and HR administration. Best-fit hubs: Philippines, South Africa.

Time to fill: local vs offshore

Locally, the average permanent hire takes about five weeks from application, and longer from the day the role is approved. Global benchmarks put requisition-to-fill at roughly 51 to 75 days for technical roles (developers, cyber, data) and about 60 days for business roles such as accounting and customer service (iCIMS; Ashby, US-weighted data).

Offshore, an established provider typically takes three to six weeks from brief to accepted offer for these roles (Sourcefit, 2026). Notice periods matter: in India one month is common, so plan start dates accordingly. In our experience the bottleneck is rarely the talent pool. It is how clearly the role is defined and how well the transition is planned.

Where each hub fits

• Philippines: customer experience, finance and admin at scale, with strong cultural alignment to Australia.
• India: technology, finance and analytics, with the deepest graduate pool.
• Colombia: bilingual talent and Americas time zones for businesses serving the US.
• South Africa: a global business services workforce of about 150,000 that has roughly tripled since 2019, with Australia among its key markets (BPESA).

What to do with this

If a role has been open for more than a month, or you are hiring the same role repeatedly, it is worth testing offshore. Start with an offshore readiness review: which roles to move, the expected savings, the risks, and the right location for each. Contact Greg at greg.ryan@virtualvendors.com.au.

Sources

• ABS, Job Vacancies, Australia, August 2026
• Jobs and Skills Australia, 2025 Occupation Shortage List
• Jobs and Skills Australia, REOS quarterly report, March quarter 2026
• Robert Half via HRD Australia, December 2025
• SmartRecruiters, Australian hiring benchmark, March 2025
• Time to fill by role, 2026 (Ashby and iCIMS benchmarks)
• Sourcefit via Outsource Accelerator, roles easier to fill offshore
• BPESA via Outsource Accelerator, South Africa GBS growth