Mid-Year 2025 Employee Benchmarks: Hiring Moves Melbourne SMBs Should Make Now

Hiring isn’t happening in a vacuum; it sits on top of employee sentiment that’s shifting under our feet. Culture Amp’s mid-year 2025 benchmark update shows engagement is still sliding—pride and short-term commitment dipped again—and yet some “contradictory” bright spots are appearing (better switching off, clearer goal-setting). The big constant? Leadership quality and development opportunities remain the top levers of engagement globally. Culture Amp

Here’s the proper, no-fluff translation for Mornington-area SMBs who are hiring now or soon.

What the data says (and why it matters for hiring)

• Engagement is down; intent to leave is up. Only 55% say they rarely think about leaving—meaning nearly half are at least toying with the idea. Expect more “soft churn” and counter-offers around the edges of your recruitment pipeline. Culture Amp

• Top engagement drivers haven’t changed: confidence in leaders, leaders showing people matter, and growth/development. If your employer brand and interview process don’t evidence these, quality candidates will self-select out. Culture Amp

• Industry nuance matters: biotech is holding up better; new tech and financial services are slipping faster—likely due to AI disruption. If you’re in a disrupted category, talent is scanning for stability, clarity, and credible leadership signals. Culture Amp

• Four contradictions to watch: employees feel less energised yet better at switching off; AI-disrupted sectors report better work-life balance; more conversations about survey results but less belief action will follow; goal-setting is improving while constructive feedback is declining. These tensions will surface in interviews as “I’m open, but show me it’s real.” Culture Amp

How to adjust your hiring and screening right now

1. Make leadership tangible in your job ads. Replace vague “great leadership” claims with specifics: manager-to-team ratio, cadence of 1:1s, how performance decisions get made, and what “good” looks like in the first 90 days. This maps directly to the top drivers candidates care about. Culture Amp

2. Signal growth with proof, not platitudes. List the actual learning budget, internal mobility stats, and mentoring setup. If you’re small, spotlight cross-functional exposure and owner access—gold for development-hungry candidates. Culture Amp

3. Tackle the “we’ll act on feedback” trust gap. In interviews, show a recent staff-feedback change you implemented (policy, tooling, roster). Candidates are wary of talk-shops without action. Culture Amp

4. Balance energy and boundaries. Given lower energy but better “switching off,” discuss realistic workload, after-hours expectations, and how you avoid burnout. It de-risks later attrition. Culture Amp

5. Shorten the runway from shortlist to offer. With the intent to leave rising, decisive processes win. Pre-book reference checks and screening so you can move within days, not weeks. Culture Amp

6. Screen for manager capability, not just candidate skill. Many engagement gaps are leadership-related. Incorporate a brief hiring manager calibration to ensure the role, success metrics, and support are clear before ads go live. Culture Amp

Where Mornington Screening Service fits

• Faster, fairer hiring: We run compliant pre-employment checks (police, VEVO/right-to-work, refs) in parallel, so you can issue offers quickly without cutting corners.

• Volume hiring ready: For campaigns, we standardise screening criteria and interview scorecards so candidates experience a consistent, respectful process—critical when trust in “follow-through” is shaky. Culture Amp

• Expectation-setting assets: We can help craft job ads and candidate info packs that prove leadership quality and development pathways with real examples, not fluff—aligning directly to this year’s top engagement drivers. Culture Amp

Practical next steps this month

• Rewrite one priority job ad to include: manager practices, feedback rhythm, growth examples, and boundary expectations.

• Please ensure that your process is streamlined to 10 business days from ad to offer: lock in interview panels, prepare questions, and line up background checks early.

• Add a “we listened” section to your careers page with 2–3 staff-driven changes from the last year.

• Brief hiring managers on how to talk credibly about goals and feedback culture (goal clarity is up; feedback is down—close that loop).

Primary source: Culture Amp, The pulse of the workplace: Mid-year 2025 benchmark updates (updated 4 Sep 2025).