Can’t find staff? Every option for an Australian employer, in order of speed and cost

The options, in order

Option 1 in detail: the ad is usually the problem

Ads without a salary get fewer applications and, if you later sponsor, fail labour market testing. Titles that mean something only inside your business ("Operations Team Member") do not match what candidates search. Requirement lists written as wishes ("must have 5 years, Certificate IV, own vehicle, weekend availability") filter out people who would have been fine. Say what the job pays, call it what the industry calls it, list three genuine requirements, and state plainly whether you can sponsor or whether applicants need existing work rights. A template that covers the legal points.

Option 4 in detail: the workforce already here

International students can work 48 hours a fortnight in term and unlimited hours in breaks; 485 graduates have unrestricted work rights for two to three years; Working Holiday makers can work any hours, six months per employer; partner and most bridging visa holders are unrestricted. Hiring them is ordinary employment plus a VEVO check, and the good ones become your sponsored hires later at the lowest risk there is, because you have seen them work. SponsorTalent’s onshore filter is built for this search.

Option 7 in detail: what sponsorship really asks of you

Three things decide it. The occupation must be on the Core Skills or regional list (121 occupation pages here state the position and caveats). The role must pay at least A$79,423 and the market rate, in guaranteed annual earnings. And the business must become an approved sponsor and run labour market testing: two ads of 28 days or more within the four months before lodging, with salary shown, which for most readers of this page is the advertising already done. The charges are small against an agency fee or a month of vacancy; the obligations are real and last the life of the visa. The timeline, the costs, and your state’s page for regional status and the local candidate pool.

Option 8 in detail: when the role is not on any list

Truck drivers, aged and disability carers, farm hands, meat process workers, waiters and kitchen hands cannot be sponsored on a standard 482 however acute the shortage. Each has a route: the Aged Care Industry Labour Agreement for care, the meat, horticulture, dairy, pork and fishing agreements for primary industry, regional DAMAs for drivers and hospitality, PALM for Pacific workers. The routes take longer the first time and are then repeatable. PALM, labour agreement or DAMA compared.

Frequently asked questions

Why is nobody applying to my job ad? Usually one of four things: no salary shown, a title candidates do not search, a requirements list that reads as a wish-list, or pay at award rates in a sector paying above them. Fix those before changing boards.

Can I hire international students or backpackers? Yes. Students may work 48 hours a fortnight in term and unlimited in breaks; Working Holiday makers any hours but six months per employer; 485 graduates without restriction. Run a VEVO check first and register with the ATO before paying a Working Holiday maker.

How long does it take to get a worker from overseas? Six to eight months for a first-time sponsor at the Department’s September 2026 medians (sponsorship 11 days, nomination 64 days, visa four months) plus notice and relocation; three to five months for someone already in Australia.

What does sponsorship cost a small business? Government charges of A$3,150 for a two-year 482 (sponsorship A$420, nomination A$330, levy A$1,200 per year), A$5,550 for four years, plus fixed migration agent fees. The worker normally pays the A$4,015 visa charge. None of the sponsor-side charges can be recovered from the worker.

Is there government help for a small business that cannot find staff? Workforce Australia provides free recruitment support through its providers and wage subsidies for eligible hires; apprenticeship incentives apply to trades and some other qualifications; several states run regional attraction programs. For skilled roles with no local candidate, employer sponsorship is the federal program designed for exactly that gap.