Job ad template for Australian employers

The template

What the law requires, and prohibits

• Pay. Not legally required in a general ad, but an ad without pay gets fewer applicants, and an ad used for labour market testing must show the salary or range where it is below the Department’s threshold. State it.
• No discriminatory criteria. Federal and state anti-discrimination laws prohibit requirements based on age, sex, race, nationality, religion, disability, family responsibilities and the other protected attributes unless a genuine occupational requirement or a specific law applies. "Young and energetic", "native English speaker" and "Australian citizens only" are the common breaches; "right to work in Australia" and "eligible for employer sponsorship" are lawful.
• No misleading claims. Pay, hours and the nature of the work must be as advertised; Fair Work treats a misleading ad as a breach. Fair Work publishes its own ad template and guidance for horticulture employers that applies in substance everywhere.
• Award and conditions. Name the award or enterprise agreement if you want to signal that you pay correctly; it reassures the experienced applicants you most want.

What makes the same ad valid as labour market testing

If no suitable Australian applies and you move to sponsor the role on a 482 or 494, the Department asks for evidence that you tested the local market. The ad qualifies when it:

• uses the exact title and duties of the occupation you will nominate (the ANZSCO description, not an internal title);
• states the salary or salary range where required;
• names the employer (or the recruiter acting for it) and the location;
• runs for at least 28 days, as one of at least two advertisements, within the four months before the nomination is lodged; and
• is captured in dated screenshots showing the platform, the full text and the dates.

Mismatched titles between the ad and the nomination are the most common refusal reason. Write the ad as if the nomination already existed. Full rules: labour market testing for the 482; WIDEN’s detail on the advertisement itself: LMT advertisement requirements.

Wording that changes who applies

• "Right to work in Australia required" tells visa holders with work rights (students, 485, Working Holiday, partner visas) they are welcome and tells offshore candidates they are not. Use it when you cannot sponsor.
• "Visa sponsorship available for the right candidate" brings a different, larger pool, including assessed tradespeople and nurses overseas. Use it only if it is true: promising sponsorship you cannot deliver is a Fair Work problem.
• "Sponsorship considered after a successful probation" is the honest middle ground many employers want, and candidates understand it.
• Three requirements beat ten. Every extra "must have" removes applicants who would have been fine.

Where to post it

Free boards and their catches: post a job for free in Australia. The full market with costs: job posting sites compared. On SponsorTalent, register free and list the roles you are hiring for; they reach candidates who need sponsorship and visa holders already in Australia, and you can search the pool yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Can I say "Australian citizens only" in a job ad? Generally no. Nationality is a protected attribute under Australian anti-discrimination law, so the requirement is unlawful unless a specific law for the role requires citizenship (some government and security roles). "Right to work in Australia" is the lawful wording.

Do I have to put the salary in a job ad? Not in a general ad, though ads with pay get more applicants. If the ad will be used as labour market testing for a sponsorship nomination, the salary or range must be shown where it is below the Department’s threshold.

Can I ask for a native English speaker? No. It discriminates on race or national origin. Describe the actual language requirement of the job ("clear written and spoken English for customer-facing work") instead.

How long should a job ad run? Two to four weeks for a normal hire. If the role may be sponsored, at least 28 days, because labour market testing requires each advertisement to run for 28 days or more within the four months before the nomination.

Is there an official Australian job ad template? The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes a job advertisement template with guidance on workplace-law obligations, written for horticulture employers but applicable in substance to any business. The template on this page follows the same points and adds the sponsorship-ready details.