Recruitment in the public sector

With around 25,000 advertisements posted each year on WA Government Jobs alone, it is clear that building the public sector workforce WA needs takes a huge amount of time, effort, money and resources.

So it is essential for recruitment activities to not only be efficient but to also focus on getting the right people in the right jobs at the right time.

The following changes (taking effect on 1 July 2026) deliver a more efficient and accessible approach to recruitment that better meets the needs of agencies and job seekers:

1. A new and more rigorous Recruitment Standard replaces the current Employment Standard, with integrity (merit, equity and probity) remaining paramount in every recruitment. The standard is contained in 3 new Commissioner’s Instructions - Commissioner’s Instruction 48, 49 and 50. 
2. Suitability now recognises that recruitment decisions must consider more than a person’s ability to perform tasks and includes eligibility and pre-employment conditions as well as behavioural and personal attributes that agencies seek from prospective employees.
3. Before filling any vacancy, hiring managers must first consider (in this order) surplus employees, fixed term and casual employees eligible to be converted to permanency, and suitable applicants in the agency’s recruitment pools.
4. While advertising on WA Government Jobs remains the norm, there is scope for agencies to use one of 4 limited search methods where a defined circumstance exists and the decision to use it can be justified.
5. There is no restriction for appointing temporary visa holders to permanent positions.
6. Agencies are expected to move to fill permanent jobs quickly (as soon as practicable).
7. Non-permanent recruitment (fixed term, acting and secondment) must allow for possible future permanent appointment (except for temporary filling arrangements under 12 months).
8. Agencies can appoint people to fixed term positions for an initial 12 months (with extension possible for up to 2 years in total) following limited search and an individual assessment of merit.
9. Temporary vacancies of up to 12 months can be backfilled without advertising or undertaking limited search.
10. Agencies are required to actively manage recruitment, including the use of pools, to enhance efficiency and applicant care.
11. The RAMS redeployment function ends on 30 June 2026 and the 3 day period for redeployment clearance is removed so recruitment processes can begin immediately. Any surplus staff referred by other agencies are considered during the recruitment process.
12. Updated Breach of Standard claim procedures reflect the requirements of the 3 new Commissioner’s Instructions on recruitment (48, 49 and 50).