How to Find Employees in Perth: Where to Look, by Role (2026)

Published: 16 August 2026

How to find employees in Perth: advertise where people in that trade or role already look, show the pay in the ad, and answer applicants within a day or two. For most Perth vacancies that means a job board plus one free channel, such as a Jobs and Skills Centre or your own staff's referrals. An agency is worth paying only for scarce or confidential roles. Below is where each kind of Perth worker looks, which big employers you're up against right now, and what each channel costs.

Last fact-checked: 7 November 2026, against our live Perth job feed, Jobs and Skills WA and the job sites' own pricing pages; Fair Work Ombudsman, Department of Home Affairs and WA Government rules checked 4 November 2026. Pay rates, rules and job numbers change; follow the linked source before you act.

Key points

There's no single best place to find employees in Perth. Trades, hospitality, office and care workers look in different places.
On 7 November 2026, 20 of the 36 newest direct trade and construction ads on our Perth feed were FIFO roles, mostly from Mineral Resources and Fortescue. That's who a town-based trade employer is competing with.
Jobs and Skills Centres help WA employers recruit for free (13 64 64), and the Apprenticeship Office (13 19 54) runs a register of apprentices and trainees looking for a new employer.
Indeed and LinkedIn both set prices per job. Indeed bills sponsored jobs for clicks or started applications; LinkedIn says its price depends on the role, location and number of hires.
Before anyone starts, check their work rights, the right award or WA state minimum, and whether you're in the national or the WA state system.

Hiring now? You can post a job on Jobs In Perth from $29 for 30 days, and it goes live as soon as you pay.

What is the best way to find employees in Perth?

The best way to find employees in Perth is to put a clear, paid-up ad where that kind of worker already looks, and then move faster than the other employers they're talking to. The channel matters less than most owners think. Ads that name the pay, the suburb and the hours, and get a reply within a day or two, tend to fill faster on any board.

In practice, the strongest combination for a small Perth business is:

One job board that your candidates use (see the table below), with the pay range in the ad.
One free channel: your staff's networks, a Jobs and Skills Centre, the Out of Contract Register for apprentices, or a sign in the shop window for retail and hospitality.
A short application. Name, phone and a CV or a few lines about experience are enough to start a conversation.
A same-week reply. In a tight market the first employer to call back often gets the person.

Where do Perth employers find workers, by role?

Each kind of worker looks in a different place, and each faces different competing offers. The live numbers below come from the direct-from-employer ads on our Perth feed on 7 November 2026.

Where Perth workers look, and who else is hiring (direct-from-employer ads, Jobs In Perth feed, 7 November 2026)
Role group	Where candidates look	Who you're competing with now	What helps most
Trades and construction	Word of mouth, job boards, trade networks	FIFO work: 20 of the 36 newest direct trade ads were FIFO, 14 of them from Mineral Resources	Pay in the ad, a referral bonus, the roster or finish time
Hospitality	Job boards, walk-ins, window signs, students	Crown Perth placed 25 of the 29 live direct hospitality ads	Shifts and hourly rate in the ad, fast trial shift (paid unless it meets the Fair Work rules)
Office and admin	Job boards and LinkedIn	WA Government: 41 of the 50 newest direct admin ads, and 44 of 50 showed annual pay	A salary range; government ads almost always show one
Health, aged care and disability	Job boards, agencies, word of mouth	Hospitals and large providers with set pay scales	Flexible rosters, clear hours and pay

Browse what's live now in trade and construction jobs in Perth, hospitality jobs and admin jobs to see the ads your candidates are comparing yours with.

Trades and site roles

Trades find work through each other first, then job boards. If you're hiring an electrician, diesel mechanic, welder or boilermaker in Perth, you're competing with FIFO rosters whether or not you're in mining. Our FIFO jobs from Perth page shows those ads, and our electrician salary guide shows what the trade earns. Say what your job offers that FIFO doesn't: home every night, a set finish time, or a path to a supervisor role. A referral bonus for your current team often beats extra advertising spend, because tradespeople vouch for people they've worked beside. Hiring for a building or civil site? Our guide to finding construction workers and labourers in Perth covers labour hire, white cards and award pay.

Hospitality and retail

Job boards, walk-ins and window signs all still work, and many applicants are students looking for shifts around classes. Put the hourly rate and the actual shifts in the ad. If you want to see someone work first, Fair Work says a short unpaid trial is lawful only when it's needed to see their skills, only tests skills that relate to the job, lasts only as long as that takes (usually an hour to a shift), and is directly supervised the whole time. Otherwise, pay for the trial shift.

Office and professional

Office candidates use job boards and LinkedIn and usually compare several offers. This is where a stated salary range makes the biggest difference: the WA Government ads they're also reading almost always show one.

Healthcare, aged care and disability support

Care workers are in demand, so they choose the employer. Rosters, guaranteed hours and travel between clients often matter as much as the hourly rate. Our guide to becoming a support worker in WA shows the checks and training your applicants already have.

Where can I find employees for free in WA?

WA employers can find employees for free through Jobs and Skills Centres, the Apprenticeship Office's Out of Contract Register, their own team's referrals and free job posts on some boards. None of these cost money, but they take more of your time than a paid ad.

Jobs and Skills Centres. Jobs and Skills WA says its services for employers are "all 100% free" and that your local centre can help you find an apprentice, a trainee or a new employee. Call 13 64 64.
The Out of Contract Register. The Apprenticeship Office keeps a list of WA apprentices and trainees whose training contracts recently ended and who want a new employer. Call 13 19 54.
Referrals. Ask your team who they'd want to work with. A thank-you payment after the new person passes probation costs far less than an agency fee.
Free job posts. Indeed lets many jobs be posted free, with limits: its own pricing page says free posts don't get its search-results visibility features, and agencies can't use free accounts.

Our list of free job posting sites in Australia compares the rest.

Which job site is best for employers in Perth?

The best job site is the one your candidates check, at a price that makes sense for one hire. LinkedIn and Indeed set prices per job based on factors such as the role and location, SEEK sells tiered ads, and a local Perth board charges a flat fee.

How the main job sites charge Perth employers (each site's own pricing page, read 4 to 7 November 2026)
Site	How it charges	Best for
SEEK	Ad tiers (Basic, Advanced, Premium, Concierge); the price depends on the ad. See what a SEEK job ad costs	Office, professional and most skilled roles
Indeed	Free posts with limits, or Sponsored Jobs billed for clicks or started applications, invoiced monthly or when spend reaches $500	High-volume and entry-level roles
LinkedIn	Price varies with the role, location and number of hires	Office, professional and management roles
Jobs In Perth	Flat: Basic $29 (30 days), Featured $69 (30 days, featured placement), Premium $199 (60 days, priority placement)	Perth and WA roles where you want local applicants

For a fuller comparison, see our guide to what job advertising costs in Australia and our list of SEEK alternatives for Perth employers.

How do I find employees fast?

To find employees fast, post the job today with the pay, suburb and start date in the first lines, use the same job title candidates search for, and call good applicants back the same day. Then add one free channel so you aren't waiting on the ad alone.

Use the title people search. "Diesel Fitter" or "Café All-Rounder", not your internal grade.
Lead with pay, place and hours. These are what candidates look for first.
Cut the application. Every extra screen loses people. Ask for the detail later, at interview.
Ring your team and suppliers. Someone usually knows a person between jobs.
Call 13 64 64 and tell your Jobs and Skills Centre what you need.
Book interviews within the week, and make the offer in writing as soon as you've decided.

Should I use a recruitment agency or labour hire?

Use a recruitment agency when the role is scarce, senior or confidential, or has stayed open long enough that the vacancy costs more than the fee. For most Perth vacancies, such as trades assistants, hospitality, retail, admin and warehouse roles, a well-written ad fills the job for much less.

Agency fees are usually a share of the first year's salary, and they vary by agency and role, so get the fee, the replacement guarantee and the payment terms in writing before you agree. Labour hire is different: the agency employs the worker and charges you an hourly rate. Under the Fair Work Act, the Fair Work Commission can make "same job, same pay" orders for labour hire workers, but not where the host business is a small business employer with fewer than 15 employees. Our list of Perth recruitment agencies by industry shows which agencies advertise in your field.

How do I find tradespeople and apprentices to employ?

To find qualified tradespeople, advertise on a job board with the pay and roster in the ad and ask your existing trades for referrals. To find an apprentice, go through an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider or a Jobs and Skills Centre, or call the Apprenticeship Office about its Out of Contract Register.

An apprentice's training contract must be registered with the WA Apprenticeship Office. Government incentives can help with the cost: the WA Government lists a Jobs and Skills WA Employer Incentive with a base payment of up to $8,500 for a 4-year apprenticeship, and its page has the eligibility rules. Our guide to Perth apprenticeships explains how the system works from the apprentice's side.

What should I check before the new person starts?

Before anyone starts, check that they have the right to work in Australia, that you're paying at least the right minimum rate, and which workplace system you're in. Getting any of these wrong is far more expensive than the job ad.

Work rights. Registered organisations can use the Department of Home Affairs' VEVO service to check a visa holder's work conditions, with the person's permission.
National or WA state system. Pty Ltd companies are in the national Fair Work system. Sole traders, unincorporated partnerships and unincorporated trusts in WA are in the WA state system, with different minimum wages and rules. Our guide to the minimum wage in WA explains both.
Police checks. For a WA Police National Police Certificate, only the applicant can apply, and the fee is $66. See our police clearance guide.
Your first employee? Follow our first-employee checklist for WA, which covers WorkCover, tax and super.

This is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 (national system) or Wageline on 1300 655 266 (WA state system).

Hiring in Perth?

Write the ad with the pay, suburb and hours up front, then post a job on Jobs In Perth from $29. It reaches people looking for work in Perth and regional WA, and our pricing page compares the Basic, Featured and Premium plans.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best place to find employees in Perth?

It depends on the role. Trades find work through word of mouth and job boards, hospitality through boards, walk-ins and window signs, and office staff through job boards and LinkedIn. Pair one job board with one free channel.

Where can employers find employees for free in WA?

Jobs and Skills Centres help WA employers recruit for free (13 64 64), the Apprenticeship Office runs the Out of Contract Register (13 19 54), and some boards, such as Indeed, allow limited free posts.

How do I find employees for a small business?

Write a short ad with the pay, suburb and hours, post it on one board your candidates use, ask your team for referrals, and call good applicants back the same day. Use an agency only for hard-to-fill roles.

Why can't I find staff in Perth?

Usually the ad is competing with better-paid or clearer offers, such as FIFO roles for trades or government ads that show salary. Show the pay, shorten the application and reply faster before you change where you advertise.

How much does it cost to advertise a job in Perth?

It ranges from free (some Indeed posts) to a price set per ad by SEEK, Indeed and LinkedIn. Jobs In Perth charges a flat $29, $69 or $199.