A sound trades recruitment process has seven stages: define the role and its licences, write an honest job description, source actively, screen technically, check references and credentials, make a competitive offer, and onboard for the first three months. Skip one and you risk a costly mis-hire. This guide walks through each stage for Australian employers and shows where the money goes, including what agencies charge.
TL;DR
- Start with a needs analysis that lists the exact licences, tickets and experience the job requires. A hire who lacks them is the most common and costly mistake.
- Trade hiring is hard right now. The vacancy fill rate for Technicians and Trades Workers was 57.0% in the June quarter 2025, so job ads alone often fall short.
- Agency fees are not regulated. Ask in writing what any percentage is applied to, or choose a fixed fee so the cost is known before you start.
- Treat the first three months of employment as part of recruitment. Structured onboarding protects the hire you worked for.
Table of Contents
- Why the process matters more for trades
- The seven stages of trades recruitment
- How long each stage takes
- What trades recruitment costs
- When to use an agency and when to go it alone
- Common mistakes in trades hiring
- Our view: what small trade businesses get wrong
- Start your search with a known cost
- FAQ
- Sources
Why the process matters more for trades
Trades hiring fails differently from office hiring. A missing licence, a weak reference from a previous site or a misjudged pay expectation can end a placement within weeks. And the pool is thin. Jobs and Skills Australia’s 2025 list found 29% of occupations in national shortage, down from 36% in 2023, so conditions are easing overall, but gaps persist, and many of them sit in the trades.
The agency also found that persistent shortages are often driven by a lack of qualified applicants. For a small business, that means the best tradespeople are usually employed already. A process that only waits for applications will miss them.
The seven stages below suit a builder hiring a carpenter, an electrical contractor hiring a licensed electrician or a manufacturer hiring a fabricator. The detail changes by trade and state. The order does not.
The seven stages of trades recruitment
1. Run a needs analysis
Before you write anything, answer these questions:
- What work is waiting? Describe current jobs and the pipeline for the next six months, not just today’s backlog.
- Do you need a qualified tradesperson, a trade assistant or an apprentice? Each is a different search with different costs and obligations.
- Which licences, tickets and certifications are legally required, and which are only preferred?
- Is the role permanent full-time, or do you need labour hire or contract cover for a short project?
- What can you pay, including super, tools, vehicle and allowances?
This step is the one small business owners most often underestimate. Industry guidance on hiring skilled trades people stresses that a formal needs analysis should capture trade-specific licences and certifications, because a failed hire from missing qualifications is a common pitfall. Our own overview of how licensing shapes trades recruitment covers what to verify and when.
2. Write a job description that a tradesperson would respond to
Good tradespeople scan ads quickly. Put the essentials near the top:
- Job title in the words the trade uses, not an internal label.
- Location, including the range of sites if the work moves.
- Pay range or award classification, hours and any overtime expectations.
- Required licences, then preferred experience.
- The kind of work: residential, commercial, civil, maintenance, industrial.
- What the employer offers beyond pay: training, a company vehicle, a safety record, a path to leading hand or supervisor.
Practitioners suggest the best candidates respond to a personalised offer that emphasises career growth and safety culture, not just base salary. Say so in the ad.
3. Source candidates actively
Most permanent trade roles are worth advertising first. Specialist trade job boards, major employment platforms, Workforce Australia, social media and staff referrals are all reasonable starting points. A referral from a tradesperson you already trust can save weeks, because good tradespeople tend to know other good tradespeople.
When those channels do not produce, move to direct approaches: contacting passive candidates, searching for people whose contracts are ending, and asking suppliers and training providers who is looking. Jobs and Skills Australia’s advice is to move beyond standard advertising toward inclusive recruitment that targets diverse candidate pools, including women in trades, mature-age workers and career changers. Our guides to candidate sourcing channels and sourcing strategy go through each channel in turn.
4. Screen technically, not only by conversation
A confident interview does not prove a tradesperson can do the work. Build screening in layers:
- Phone screen (15 minutes). Confirm licences, availability, location, pay expectations and the type of work they have done recently.
- Technical conversation. Ask them to walk through a recent job: the scope, the problems, how they solved them, who they worked with. Specifics are hard to fake.
- Practical element where appropriate. A site visit, a short paid trial or a skills demonstration, depending on the trade.
- Fit conversation. Meet the supervisor or team member they will work beside.
For roles with a lot of applicants, a psychometric assessment can add an objective view of working style. We offer one at $199 per candidate as an optional add-on.
5. Check references and credentials
Verify every licence with the issuing state or territory body rather than relying on a photocopy. Speak to at least two recent supervisors, not only colleagues. Ask what the person was like on a bad day, whether they would rehire them and how they handled safety.
Depending on the role, you may also need identity, work rights and police checks. Our background checks guide sets out what an employer can ask for and the rules agencies follow. If you use us, an optional criminal check costs $129.
6. Make the offer and set the terms
Fast, clear offers win trade hires. A good tradesperson often has more than one option, and delay is the usual reason offers fall through. Put the following in writing:
- Pay rate and how it relates to the applicable award or enterprise agreement.
- Superannuation and other entitlements.
- Start date, probation period, hours and location.
- Tools, vehicle, phone, PPE and training provided.
For apprentices, the paperwork is stricter. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s guide to taking on an apprentice explains your responsibilities, and a formal training contract is part of them. Apprenticeships typically take three to four years to complete, so hiring one is a commitment to training, not a quick fix for a labour gap.
7. Onboard through the first three months
Many employers treat recruitment as finished when the offer is signed. Experts in trades hiring argue the real process continues through the first three months, and that structured onboarding has a significant effect on retention.
A workable plan:
- Day one: site induction, safety briefing, equipment issued, a named buddy.
- Week one: a short check-in at the end of each day, then each week.
- Month one: a review of the work so far, with specific feedback in both directions.
- Month three: a formal conversation about performance, pay path and training.
How long each stage takes
Timings depend on the trade, location and how scarce the skill is. Use this as a planning guide rather than a promise.
| Stage | What you do | Typical effort |
|---|---|---|
| Needs analysis | Define role, licences, budget | A few hours to a day |
| Job description | Write and approve the ad | Half a day |
| Sourcing | Advertise, refer, approach directly | Often the longest stage, from two weeks |
| Screening | Phone, technical, practical | Several hours per shortlisted candidate |
| References and checks | Verify licences, speak to referees | A few days |
| Offer | Negotiate and sign | One to three days if you are prepared |
| Onboarding | Induct and review | Three months |
The stage you control most is the gap between interview and offer. Decide your criteria beforehand and be ready to move within a day or two.
What trades recruitment costs
There are four ways to fill a permanent trade role, and each has a different cost profile.
- Advertising and referrals. Low cash cost, high time cost. Works well when the role is common and your local market is healthy.
- Traditional commission agency. The agency charges a percentage of the candidate’s salary on placement. There is no regulated rate. As one Australian trades job board explains, the difficulty of the search is a major factor and fees depend on each agency’s own commercial terms, not a market standard.
- Labour hire. The agency employs the worker and charges you an hourly rate. Suited to short projects and peaks, less so to building a permanent team.
- Flat-fee recruitment. A fixed price for a permanent placement, whatever the salary of the person you hire within the fee band.
The percentage trap
If you use a percentage-based agency, ask two questions before signing. What exactly is the percentage applied to: base salary, or total remuneration including super, allowances and bonuses? And what is the guarantee period if the hire leaves? The same source warns that leaving the calculation unclear in the written agreement can produce unexpected differences when the invoice arrives. Get the answer in writing.
With a percentage model, the fee also rises with the salary. A senior estimator or a licensed specialist on a high package costs you more simply because they earn more, even if the search was no harder.
How our flat fees work
We charge a fixed price for permanent placements, in two parts: an engagement fee to start the search and a placement fee when you hire. We offer two levels:
| Service | Engagement fee | Placement fee |
|---|---|---|
| Recruit | $895 | $3,900 to $5,000 |
| Recruit+ | $2,495 | $5,000 to $6,000 |
The placement fee depends on the candidate’s salary band. Optional extras are a criminal check at $129 and a psychometric evaluation at $199 per candidate. If a hire does not work out, a Replacement Campaign costs $1,000 under our candidate replacement insurance. Full details are on our flat fee pricing page.
We estimate this model saves employers over 70% compared with traditional commission-based agencies. Your own saving depends on the salary of the role and the percentage you would otherwise be quoted, so run the numbers on your actual vacancy.
When to use an agency and when to go it alone
An agency is worth considering when:
- You have advertised for several weeks without a suitable shortlist.
- You are hiring for a specialist, licensed or supervisory role.
- You have no HR function and the owner is doing the hiring on top of running jobs.
- A vacancy is stopping you from taking work.
Doing it yourself is reasonable when the role is common in your area, you have a strong referral network, and you have the time to screen properly. Many small businesses do both: advertise first and bring in help if the first round fails.
Our practical employer guide to recruitment for trades industries and our 2026 best practices guide cover the decision in more depth.
Common mistakes in trades hiring
- Hiring on personality alone. Likeable but unlicensed is still unlicensed.
- Writing a vague ad. Without pay, location and licence details, good candidates scroll past.
- Slow decisions. A week between interview and offer can cost you the person.
- Ignoring apprentices’ paperwork. Missing a formal training contract is a regulatory risk.
- Stopping at the signature. No onboarding plan means early resignations.
- Signing an agency agreement you have not read. Check the fee base, guarantee and what happens if you hire a candidate by another route.
Our view: what small trade businesses get wrong
We work with small businesses across Australia and New Zealand, and the pattern is consistent. Owners start by asking what recruitment costs. The better question is what a wrong hire costs: the wasted wages, the rework, the lost jobs and the time spent starting again.
That is why we built our model around certainty. A fixed engagement fee and a fixed placement fee mean you know the price before you start, and the price does not climb because you chose to pay a good tradesperson well. Our replacement cover, which applies if a hire does not work out in the first two to three months, exists because early departures are the real risk in trade hiring.
Our advice is simple. Do the needs analysis properly, verify licences yourself or have them verified, move quickly once you find the right person, and plan the first three months before they start. If you do all four, the method of sourcing matters less than most people think.
— Josh Townsend
Start your search with a known cost
If you want help filling a permanent trade role, our Fixed Fee Recruitment service starts at a one-off $4,795 and covers sourcing, screening and shortlisting for your vacancy. You can compare the Recruit and Recruit+ levels on our pricing page and see what suits your role. We work with employers throughout Australia.
FAQ
How long does it take to hire a tradesperson in Australia?
It varies by trade, region and how scarce the skill is. Sourcing is usually the longest stage, and common roles can fill in a few weeks while specialist licensed roles take longer. Preparing your job description, criteria and offer in advance shortens the process.
What do trades recruitment agencies charge in Australia?
There is no regulated rate. Traditional agencies set their own percentage of salary, and fees vary with the difficulty of the search. Flat-fee agencies charge a fixed amount instead. Ours is an engagement fee of $895 plus a placement fee of $3,900 to $5,000 for Recruit, or $2,495 plus $5,000 to $6,000 for Recruit+.
Do I need a licence to run a recruitment agency?
It depends on the state. Western Australia requires an Employment Agent Licence, which needs a current National Police Certificate and a fit and proper person. Check the rules in your own state or territory before you operate.
Should I hire an apprentice or a qualified tradesperson?
A qualified tradesperson can work independently sooner. An apprentice is a longer investment, as apprenticeships typically take three to four years and come with training contract obligations. Many businesses hire both to build a pipeline.
What happens if my new hire leaves?
With a percentage agency, it depends on the guarantee in your agreement, so read it before signing. With us, a replacement campaign costs $1,000 if the hire does not work out within the first two to three months.
Sources
- Occupation Shortage Report, June 2025, Jobs and Skills Australia
- Shortages ease but gaps persist in 2025 Occupation Shortage List
- Guide to taking on an apprentice, Fair Work Ombudsman
- How to hire skilled trades people guide
- How much do recruitment agencies charge in Australia?
- Employment Agent Licence, WA, ABLIS
- Workforce Australia
