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Employment Placement and Recruitment Services: ABS business counts

ANZSIC class 7211, in the Administrative and Support Services division.

Actively trading businesses in Employment Placement and Recruitment Services (ANZSIC class 7211) across Australia, June 2025
9,027 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025.
Actively trading non-employing businesses in Employment Placement and Recruitment Services (ANZSIC class 7211) across Australia, June 2025
3,558 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025.
ABS business entries in Employment Placement and Recruitment Services (ANZSIC class 7211) across Australia: counted at June 2025 but not June 2024
1,537 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, 2024-25.
ABS business exits in Employment Placement and Recruitment Services (ANZSIC class 7211) across Australia: counted at June 2024 but not June 2025
1,161 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, 2024-25.

About these figures

  • These ABS figures count actively trading businesses, not workers, sites or venues, each in its main state or territory.
  • Entries and exits compare two 30 June counts. They are not counts of openings and closures.
  • The ABS adjusts its counts slightly to protect confidentiality, so a small number or a zero is approximate, not proof that no such business exists.

Summary of the ABS class definition

In this class, the ABS counts businesses mainly engaged in listing employment vacancies and in referring or placing applicants for employment in any field. The services are provided to either employers or potential employees, and include the formulation of job descriptions, the screening and testing of applicants and the investigation of references. Also included in this class are businesses that provide executive search services.

Examples the ABS lists:

  • Casting agency operation
  • Employment agency operation
  • Employment recruitment service
  • Employment registry operation
  • Executive placement service

The ABS counts businesses mainly engaged in this related work in other classes:

  • supplying their own employees to client's businesses on a fee or contract basis are included in Class 7212 Labour Supply Services
  • providing human resource management services to clients or managing public figures are included in Class 6962 Management Advice and Related Consulting Services

The ABS page for class 7211 gives the full definition and what the class leaves out.

By employment size

Employment Placement and Recruitment Services businesses across Australia by employment size
BusinessesCount
All businesses9,027 businesses
Non-employing3,558 businesses
1 to 4 employees3,153 businesses
5 to 19 employees1,094 businesses
20 to 199 employees969 businesses
200 or more employees253 businesses

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

By turnover

Employment Placement and Recruitment Services businesses across Australia by turnover
BusinessesCount
Zero to less than $50k1,908 businesses
$50k to less than $200k2,176 businesses
$200k to less than $2m3,284 businesses
$2m to less than $5m724 businesses
$5m to less than $10m358 businesses
$10m or more577 businesses

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 3, June 2025. Checked 16 Oct 2026.

Entries and exits, 2024-25

Employment Placement and Recruitment Services businesses across Australia over 2024-25
BusinessesCount
At the start of the year8,651 businesses
ABS business entries1,537 businesses
ABS business exits1,161 businesses
At the end of the year9,027 businesses

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, 2024-25. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

By main state or territory

Employment Placement and Recruitment Services businesses by main state or territory
BusinessesCount
New South Wales3,731 businesses
Victoria2,233 businesses
Queensland1,647 businesses
Western Australia821 businesses
South Australia314 businesses
Tasmania70 businesses
Australian Capital Territory174 businesses
Northern Territory32 businesses
Other Territories or Currently Unknown5 businesses

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Sources

  1. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2: Businesses by main state by industry class by employment size ranges (8165DC02.xlsx). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 16 December 2025, checked 15 October 2026.

  2. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 3: Businesses by main state by industry class by turnover size ranges (8165DC03.xlsx). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 16 December 2025, checked 16 October 2026.

  3. Correspondence, GCCSA 2021 to GCCSA 2026 (CG_GCCSA_2021_GCCSA_2026.csv). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 22 July 2026, checked 15 October 2026.

  4. Greater Capital City Statistical Areas digital boundary file, 2026 (GCCSA_2026_AUST_SHP_GDA2020.zip). Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 22 July 2026, checked 15 October 2026.

  5. Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0): the detailed classification. Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 26 June 2013, checked 16 October 2026.

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