30 Jul 2026 HSE Job Market Mid-Year Review

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For those of you who follow us on LinkedIn, you’ll know we’re obsessed with tracking and dissecting the health and safety job scene.

We’re talking about serious data crunching from Australia’s top job boards, SEEK and LinkedIn. In this blog, we release our six-month data, which is cross-checked against reports from the ABS, RBA, SEEK, and other industry specialists.

 

2026 Job Data Compared to 2025

The HSE job market is following the larger economic trends. We’ve meticulously scoured 3,898 national health and safety job ads from January 1 to June 30, 2026. And we’ve triple-checked our data – we’re only looking at genuine HSE roles.

What’s the difference? We saw a 5% dip in jobs compared with the first half of last year.

The Ups and Downs of the Market

While 2026 featured more months with fewer roles than 2025, there were two standout months: April with 672 roles and June with 685 roles.

Compared to 2025, here’s how the monthly job ads fared:

2026 roles

 

State by State Breakdown

The larger States naturally dominated the HSE job market for this period;

  • NSW owned (24%) of the overall job market
  • QLD and WA tied for second place (22%)
  • VIC was a close third with (20%)

Compared to the same period in 2025;

Locations that decreased HSE job adverts;

states-2026

Locations that increased HSE job adverts;

State & Territory HSE Job Role Total Comparison 2026

 

Construction: Still the King of Jobs!

Just when we thought construction couldn’t possibly dominate any further, it did! Construction dominated the job ads in NSW, QLD, VIC and SA. Mining led in WA and NT, while Government roles led in ACT and TAS (no surprise there, given the public sector’s strong presence).

Nationally, the top 5 industries recruiting over the past six months were:

Industries that saw the most growth compared to 2025 were:

On the flip side, some industries saw double-digit drops:

What Level of Jobs Are We Seeing?

Good news for those starting out in entry level roles, as those saw the only increase this year compared to 2025 at (3%). All other roles fell, with Advisor/Snr Advisor by (-3%), Specialist by (-4%), Mid-Level Management by (-8%) and Executive/Snr Management by (-41%).

The executive market actually saw the biggest drop of any HSE job levels from 2025. Executive jobs were predominantly in the big cities: NSW (34%), VIC (31%), and QLD (19%).

The top 5 industries hiring executives included government, manufacturing, healthcare, education, and construction.

February was the busiest month for executive roles (16 jobs), followed by March (14) and May (14), while April, January and June had much lower numbers.

And What About Our Specialists?

Despite a 49% drop compared to the same period in 2025, Workers Comp / IM professionals were the most in demand specialists. HSE Analysts (broad title) experienced a 75% decrease, whilst Occupational Hygiene roles increased by a whopping 150%, compared to the same period in 2025 (predominantly in the mining sector).

What to Expect for the Remainder of 2026

As of May 2026, SEEK job ads have fallen 0.8% month on month and declined 4.5% year on year, which aligns with our overall data. Applications per job ad have jumped 3.6% month on month and are now 5.5% higher year on year.

According to the ABS, the unemployment rate increased marginally to 4.4% as of May 2026.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) stated in May 2026 that “Prior to the onset of the Middle East conflict, domestic capacity and inflationary pressures were elevated. The conflict has caused significant disruption to global trade and production for energy commodities and some other inputs into global supply chains.” With inflation rising and economic uncertainty persisting, the unemployment rate is forecast to increase to 4.7 per cent by mid-2028.

As of 2026, many businesses and organisations are freezing and/or cutting roles across non-AI technology, middle management, and white-collar administrative positions. Looking at the (-41%) executive HSE drop, safety leadership sits inside exactly the overhead layer this trend targets.

According to Tech Republic, “Australian enterprises are weighing AI investment against workforce decisions at a time when many boards still treat the two as a trade-off: spend more on AI, spend less on people.”

But the good news is that WA is experiencing a hiring increase thanks to new mining projects. According to mining.com.au, “Australia’s resources sector is genuinely strengthening. Gold is at record highs, copper prices have hit all-time peaks, and critical minerals are finally attracting the kind of policy commitment and international capital the sector has been chasing for years.”

 

Final Word

While the first half of 2026 reflects a cautious economic environment with a modest contraction in overall job volumes, the resilience of the HSE market remains evident. We are seeing pockets of real strength, and it’s encouraging to see clear opportunities for those entering the profession.

For organisations and HSE professionals alike, adaptability remains the key. As businesses continue to navigate structural shifts, the core need for strong, strategic safety leadership is as vital as ever. The candidates of choice are those who can think commercially and demonstrate HSE’s return on investment.

We are optimistic about what the second half of the year will bring and look forward to partnering with you as you navigate these evolving opportunities.

 

We’re Your Secret Weapon!

Navigating the job market isn’t easy – perfecting your CV and acing interviews takes time. But, that’s what we’re here for! If you need a CV review, some interview tips, or insights into hiring trends, just reach out.

Want More HSE Recruitment Wisdom?

Check out these resources:

Our Data Sources (Because We’re All About Transparency!)

This blog was written by Helen O’Keefe, Managing Director of HOK Talent Solutions. Helen has been deeply involved in the health and safety profession for decades, working as both a recruiter and an HR Leader, often alongside HSE teams in the pharmaceutical and non-profit sectors.

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