Gartner HR Survey Reveals Australian Employees Are Slowly Regaining Confidence in the Job Market

Sydney, 7 September 2026 - Confidence among Australian employees in the availability of jobs improved during the first half of 2026, according to Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company. 

The most recent Gartner Global Talent Monitor survey of 820 Australian employees, collected between April and June 2026, found job availability confidence in Australia increased to 56.3 in 2Q26, reflecting a modest recovery in labour market sentiment after reaching a three-year low of 55.7 at the end of 2025. Confidence in the overall business environment also increased to its highest rate in the last four years of 48.8 in 2Q26, up from 47.4 in 4Q25.

"Employees are beginning to see more opportunities emerge after an extended period of caution in the Australian labour market," said Neal Woolrich, Director Analyst in the Gartner HR practice. "While job confidence remains below the highs seen in 2024, employees believe they have greater choice and mobility than they did six months ago. This is creating modest movement in the job market, despite ongoing cost pressures, productivity concerns and continued uncertainty surrounding the impact of AI on jobs and skills."

Retention Risks Emerging for Employers 
The improvement in job market confidence is reflected in the job seeking behaviour of Australian employees. Gartner's survey found 26.5% of Australian employees were actively seeking a new role in 2Q26, up from 19.4% in 4Q25, indicating a return to greater workforce mobility. 

The survey also revealed the number of Australian employees intending to stay in their current organisation decreased to 34% in 2Q26, down from 38.1% in 4Q25. The decline suggests employees are becoming more open to evaluating external opportunities as confidence in the labour market improves.

"When employees feel the market is opening up, they naturally become more willing to test their options," said Woolrich. "Organisations shouldn't assume that lower turnover levels seen in 2025 will continue indefinitely. Employees who delayed career decisions during a period of uncertainty are increasingly reassessing their next move."

Gartner's survey data revealed poor manager quality and lack of respect as the top two reasons Australian employees would leave their job in 2Q26 (see Table 1). This highlights the role that leaders play in clearly communicating organisational direction and stability during times of sustained uncertainty. 

Table 1: Top 10 Drivers of Employee Attraction and Attrition, Australia, Q2 2026

"Many employees stayed put in the last year because they perceived limited external opportunities and market uncertainty, while facing cost of living pressures," said Woolrich. "But as the market starts shifting, employers now need to focus on the factors that genuinely encourage people to stay, including career growth, manager quality, flexibility and meaningful work experiences. Retention strategies built for a constrained labour market may not be sufficient in a more confident one."

Editor Note
The Gartner Global Talent Monitor survey is made up of more than 6,000 employees in 40 countries, including 820 employees in Australia in 2Q26. The data is reflective of market conditions during the quarter. 

About the Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo
Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo is where CHROs and their leadership teams gather each year to reimagine their strategies through the lens of Gartner's research-driven insights and expert advice on leadership and learning, employee experience, culture and change, talent acquisition and workforce planning, and HR technology. Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo will be held October 6-8 in London, October 26-28 in Florida, and November 16-17 in Sydney. Follow news and updates from these events on LinkedIn using #GartnerHR.

About Gartner for HR Leaders
The Gartner HR practice brings together the best relevant content approaches across Gartner to offer individual decision makers strategic business advice on the mission-critical priorities that cut across the HR function. Additional information is available at https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/products/gartner-for-hr. Follow news and updates from the Gartner HR practice on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerHR.

About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) delivers actionable, objective business and technology insights that drive smarter decisions and stronger performance on an organisation's mission-critical priorities. To learn more, visit gartner.com.