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HR adviser recruitment for regional employers

Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help councils, health services, manufacturers, agribusinesses and growing regional businesses hire HR officers, HR advisers, HR business partners and HR managers. We build your awards and agreements, headcount, sites and the mix of generalist and specialist work into the search from the first conversation.

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Illustrative image: an HR adviser and a site supervisor in a meeting at a regional manufacturing plant office.

HR hiring at a glance

HR ads are concentrated in the capitals, and professional roles are among the hardest to fill.1,2

of human resource professional job ads are outside the major cities
17.4%
414 of 2,380 ads a month, three months to September 2026, against 29.2% of all job ads.1
of employers recruiting professionals had difficulty filling the role
50%
National, September quarter 2026.2
of recruiting employers outside the capitals had difficulty filling a vacancy
49%
Against 43% in the capital cities. September quarter 2026.2
of human resource professionals work full-time hours
84%
2025 annual average.3

What does an HR adviser do?

HR advisers arrange job advertising, interviews and selection, keep personnel records and HR systems, run inductions, and advise managers on workplace relations, performance and disciplinary matters. They also interpret legislation, awards, enterprise agreements and employment contracts, and help resolve disputes and grievances.3 About 84,700 people work in the Human Resource Professionals (the ANZSCO group that counts HR advisers with recruitment consultants and workplace relations advisers).3

In a smaller regional employer, one adviser may cover the whole employee lifecycle across several sites, from recruitment and award interpretation to injury management and enterprise bargaining. That breadth is what to test for at interview.

Licences, tickets and certifications for HR advisers

No general occupational licence or registration is listed for HR advisers. Employers look instead for a recognised HR qualification, professional certification and, for some roles, a work health and safety qualification or a police check; tell us any requirement attached to the particular duties, industry or workplace.

Licences, certifications and checks that apply to HR adviser work, by jurisdiction. Checked 1 November 2026.

JurisdictionLicence, certification or checkWhen it applies
All states and territoriesNo occupational licence or registration is listed for HR advisers4HR advisory work itself
All states and territoriesCertificate IV (BSB40420), Diploma (BSB50320) or Advanced Diploma (BSB60320) of Human Resource Management5,6,7The current national vocational qualifications, from HR officer to senior adviser
All states and territoriesAHRI Certified (CPHR) status, through the HR Certification Assessment8Voluntary. Open to Professional members of AHRI with 5 years of HR experience, or 2 with a degree; kept current with 60 CPD points every 3 years
All states and territoriesCertificate IV in Work Health and Safety (BSB41419)9Where the HR role also looks after work health and safety
All states and territoriesNational police certificate10Employment screening; the candidate applies, with consent

What does an HR adviser earn?

The Clerks – Private Sector Award covers private-sector employees whose work is wholly or principally clerical, unless the employer is covered by another award with clerical classifications. Where it covers an HR officer, Level 4, which includes advising on employment conditions, workers compensation and superannuation, is at least $1,241.40 a week ($32.67 an hour) from 1 July 2026. Check the duties against the award's classification definitions before relying on it for an adviser role.11

Median full-time earnings were $1,970 a week ($53 an hour) for Human Resource Professionals (the ANZSCO group that counts HR advisers with recruitment consultants and workplace relations advisers) in May 2025, against $1,852 for all occupations.3 These are national figures; no regional pay series exists for HR roles.

Where are HR advisers in demand?

Human Resource Adviser, Recruitment Consultant, Workplace Relations Adviser and Human Resource Manager are not rated in shortage in 2026, counting a national or regional shortage rating.12 Ads have eased: outside the major cities, ads for human resource professionals averaged 414 a month in the three months to September 2026, down from 450 a year earlier, and 107 were in Northern Australia.1

Nationally, ads fell from 2,453 to 2,415 a month over the year, and HR manager ads averaged 591.13

Online job ads a month for human resource professionals (ANZSCO 2231) by state and territory, three-month average to September 2026 and a year earlier, rounded, with each state's share of people employed in the group.13

State or territoryHR professional adsA year earlierShare of employed HR professionals
New South Wales71971630.1%3
Victoria55056926.5%3
Queensland54954820%3
Western Australia36634411.7%3
South Australia1351665.1%3
Australian Capital Territory39503.3%3
Tasmania31372.2%3
Northern Territory26251%3

What should you tell us about an HR role?

Whether you need a generalist or a specialist (recruitment, employee relations, injury management, payroll and systems), the awards and enterprise agreements in place, the headcount and sites, and who the person reports to. Say whether bargaining is coming up and whether the role covers WHS.

Also the HR and payroll systems you use, the travel between sites, and whether AHRI certification or a degree is essential or simply useful.

How we help you hire HR advisers

You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.

  1. Step 1

    Understand the role

    We talk with you about the awards and agreements, the sites, the employee relations work coming up and the experience you expect.

  2. Step 2

    Source and screen

    We talk with candidates about the industries and awards they know, the size of the workforces they have supported, their qualifications and whether a move to your town suits them.

  3. Step 3

    Introduce suitable people

    We introduce the candidates who best match your brief, so you decide who to interview.

  4. Step 4

    Coordinate the hire

    We coordinate the next steps and keep both sides informed through interviews and the offer. You employ the person directly.

Can you find HR advisers for regional and multi-site roles?

Yes. Many regional HR roles cover several sites, with set days on site and travel between them. Tell us the travel, any hybrid days and the relocation support, and we raise them with candidates at the start. If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.

Looking for HR work in the regions?

If you are an HR officer, adviser, business partner or manager, register with Hire Australia. Tell us the industries and awards you know, your qualifications and where you would like to work, and we will talk with you about roles that fit.

Register

Talk to us about your next HR hire

Tell us the role, the awards and agreements, the sites, the location and when you need the person to start.

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.

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A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

Good to know.

Which HR roles does Hire Australia recruit?

Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We recruit HR officers, HR advisers, HR business partners and HR managers for regional councils, health services, manufacturers, agribusinesses and growing businesses. We build your awards and agreements, sites, headcount and the mix of generalist and specialist work into the search from the first conversation.

Does an HR adviser need a licence or certification?

No occupational licence or registration is listed for HR advisers.4 Employers often look for a Diploma of Human Resource Management or a degree, and some ask for AHRI Certified (CPHR) status, which needs 5 years of HR experience, or 2 with a degree.6,8 Hire Australia asks which of these your role needs when we take the brief.

What does an HR adviser earn?

Median full-time earnings were $1,970 a week for Human Resource Professionals in May 2025.3 Where the Clerks Award covers an HR officer, Level 4 is at least $1,241.40 a week from 1 July 2026.11 Hire Australia discusses your pay range with candidates early in the search.

Is it hard to hire an HR adviser in a regional area?

It can be. Only 17.4% of human resource professional ads were outside the major cities in the three months to September 2026,1 and 50% of employers recruiting professionals had difficulty filling the role.2 Hire Australia searches beyond local applicants, including HR people ready to move.

Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?

No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.

What does it cost to use Hire Australia?

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. The same terms apply whether Hire Australia recruits an HR officer or an HR manager.

Sources (13)

  1. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, ANZSCO 4-digit occupations by JSA remoteness and Northern Australia classification, September 2026. Released October 2026. Data: three months to September 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  2. Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey, September 2026 data file. Table 3.2, Sept quarter 2026: employers with difficulty filling their latest vacancy. About 1,000 employers a month, 5+ staff, many government bodies excluded, weighted. Accessed 1 Nov 2026. Back to text ↑
  3. Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation data - February 2026. Released March 2026. Data: employed and state shares February 2026; full-time share 2025 average; earnings May 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  4. Jobs and Skills Australia, OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census, Table 6 registration or licensing. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  5. training.gov.au, BSB40420 Certificate IV in Human Resource Management. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  6. training.gov.au, BSB50320 Diploma of Human Resource Management. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  7. training.gov.au, BSB60320 Advanced Diploma of Human Resource Management. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  8. Australian HR Institute, HR Certification. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  9. training.gov.au, BSB41419 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  10. Australian Federal Police, National police checks. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  11. Fair Work Commission, Clerks - Private Sector Award 2020 [MA000002], clause 16.1 Table 3. Data: from 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  12. Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (6-digit ANZSCO and OSCA). Files dated October 2026. Data: 2026 ratings, ANZSCO 2022 sheet. National ratings; S = shortage, R = regional shortage. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  13. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, ANZSCO 4-digit occupations by state and territory, September 2026. Released October 2026. Data: three months to September 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑