office support recruitment trends in australia: what employers need to know.

Office support professionals play a critical role in maintaining business continuity, coordinating operations and enabling effective service delivery. As organisations balance operational requirements with recruitment budgets, understanding the office support talent market is essential to securing the right capabilities.

Randstad’s 2026/27 Office Support Market & Salary Report reveals a recruitment environment characterised by steady hiring activity and improving candidate availability. However, competition for experienced professionals remains an important consideration, particularly for businesses seeking specialist skills or operating with limited recruitment resources.

what is happening in the australian office support recruitment market?

Following several years of acute skills shortages, candidate availability has improved, creating a more selective and competitive hiring environment.

Despite a broader cooling across the wider employment market, administration and office support has recorded an increase in job advertising volumes compared with 2024.

The report identifies shifts, with demand increasing for experienced Executive Assistants, Project Support Officers, Program Coordinators and Office Managers. Government, defence initiatives and major business transformation programs are contributing to demand for professionals capable of working across complex, multi-stakeholder environments.

Healthcare, allied health and professional services are also driving demand, particularly for administrative professionals supporting patient communications, billing systems and compliance requirements.

which office support roles are in highest demand?

Randstad’s 2025/26 demand analysis highlights three significant role categories:

• Customer Service Representatives: 34% of hiring demand.
• Administration Assistants and Office Coordinators: 20%.
• Project Coordinators: 16%.

These figures demonstrate the breadth of operational requirements across the office support market, from customer engagement and service resolution to office coordination and project delivery.

For employers, understanding where demand is concentrated can help inform recruitment priorities, workforce budgets and the capabilities required to maintain business performance.

why does recruiting office support talent remain challenging?

Improved candidate availability does not necessarily translate into easier recruitment. The report identifies heightened competition for smaller businesses, which may find it difficult to match the remuneration and remote-working flexibility offered by larger organisations.

In this environment, employers need a clear understanding of their recruitment proposition. Competitive remuneration remains important, but so does defining the responsibilities of the role, establishing realistic expectations and communicating the broader opportunity to prospective candidates.

Accurate salary benchmarking and a well-defined recruitment brief can help employers align expectations with market conditions before commencing a search.

As Amelia O’Carrigan, Director of Business Support at Randstad Australia, explains:

“Successful office support recruitment starts with a clear understanding of what the business needs and what matters most to talent in the market, including their priorities, motivations and expectations. When employers define the capabilities required, benchmark remuneration appropriately and understand the candidate market, they are better positioned to attract the right people and make effective hiring decisions.”

how can employers plan recruitment more effectively?

Recruitment demand can fluctuate throughout the year, influenced by industry-specific operational cycles, funding releases and project milestones.

Randstad’s report identifies distinct hiring patterns across construction and property, transport and logistics, infrastructure, retail, FMCG, banking and financial services, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, and technology.

Understanding these patterns can help employers anticipate workforce requirements, consider recruitment timing and identify critical positions before demand increases.

Combined with salary benchmarks and a clear understanding of role requirements, this intelligence can support a more proactive approach to workforce planning.

make informed office support hiring decisions

A competitive recruitment strategy requires more than responding to vacancies as they arise. Employers need to understand market demand, candidate availability and the remuneration required to attract professionals with the right skills and experience.