Recruitment magnetism: what is making people move in 2025?

If you’re struggling to attract great candidates, we know it can be easy to blame a tough market, and even easier when the qualitative data supports your narrative.

The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show 

• An unchanged unemployment rate of 3.1% for the ACT – the lowest of all states and territories 
• The highest participation rate (percentage of people already employed or looking for work) in Australia 
• A 13.7% increase in job vacancies at the end of last year, compared to the previous quarter 

And while the market certainly is a challenge, it’s not the whole story.  

External factors aside, what you need to be considering is:  How do we entice the best candidates to choose us?  

3 must-haves for attracting Canberra talent 

We’re noticing three key factors that stand out most to candidates when searching for a new role.

These are:  

1. Flexibility  
2. Culture 
3. Salary 

Different candidates will prioritise certain motivators over others, and their importance will vary depending on the role and industry.

But holistically, these motivators are universal to almost every candidate we’re working with.  

So, lets break down these motivators a little more.

Flexibility 

Flexibility is no longer a unique selling point, it’s an expectation.  What sets organisations apart now is how they bring flexibility to life. 

In a recent LinkedIn survey, 52% of respondents told us that “work from anywhere flexibility” was their biggest work perk. 

But flexibility means very different things to different people. For some it is as straight forward as a set number of days working at home, whereas others are more than happy to work in the office all week – as long as they can shoot off for school pickup and log back on online later.

While having a “bums on seats from 9-5” policy isn’t out of the ordinary or necessarily a bad thing, just keep in mind that it will put you on the back foot when trying to entice quality candidates. It will also prevent you from reaping other benefits such as being able to access interstate talent, reduced office overheads, and improve productivity. 

Culture 

Defining culture in concrete terms is challenging because it holds different meanings for people. In essence though, employees just want to work with genuine people in an environment where they feel valued and that their work matters.  

Feeling aligned with an organisation’s vision, values, and purpose is more important than ever before.

Even if your organisation isn’t driven by a big social mission, every business has a purpose beyond profit, whether it’s supporting the Canberra community or delivering a service or product that makes a real impact. That’s what people connect with.

When it comes to feeling valued, we see candidates more drawn to opportunities where they believe there is: 

• Transparent and responsive communication 
• Clear pathways for growth and development 
• Strong and supportive leadership 

Salary 

Everyone wants to be fairly compensated for the time they dedicate to work. If your salary isn’t competitive with similar roles, attracting top talent will be very difficult.  

In saying that, candidates will also weigh salary against perks that add value, such as: 

• A convenient location that reduces commute costs 
• Free parking 
• Onsite gym 
• Wellbeing initiatives 

Although they aren’t able to replace the deficit of a lower salary, having these perks in place may just be the tipping point for someone weighing up two options.  

If you’re unsure what fair remuneration looks like for a role, there are a plethora of resources available online like SEEK’s “Explore Salaries” tool or industry specific salary guides. And don’t forget, we can always help benchmark your opportunity against similar roles.

You know how good you are to work for, but does everyone else?

Now that you know the top motivators, the next challenge is making sure your version of these factors stands out.

Many employers struggle to clearly communicate what matters most to candidates, both in job ads and throughout the interview process. That’s why it’s important to view it from the perspective of the people you’re trying to attract.

Take culture, for example. What aspects of a great culture are likely to resonate most? Is it charity donations and volunteer days? The Tuesday morning running club? Or is it something else entirely?

Attracting top talent in 2025 isn’t about ticking boxes, it’s about understanding what truly matters to candidates and making sure your organisation’s strengths are clear.

Final thoughts

Every workplace offers some degree of flexibility, culture, and salary, so the real question is, how does yours stand out? The more effectively you define and communicate what makes your organisation a great place to work, the more likely you are to attract the right people who will thrive in your team.

Because in a competitive market, recruitment success isn’t just about finding talent, it’s about making them want to choose you.