HR departments across Australia are facing a wide range of pressures. From skill shortages paired with high recruitment costs to hiring freezes and overwhelmed teams, organisations are feeling the pressure to attract and retain top talent at lower costs. Under these circumstances, the smartest organisations are finding new ways to boost agility without expanding their team. This is where quiet hiring is beginning to take traction. In this blog, we will explore what quiet hiring is and how implementing it into workforce planning strategies helps organisations remain competitive and resilient in the face of an unpredictable labour market.
What Is Quiet Hiring?
Quiet hiring is the process of filling capability gaps by redeploying or upskilling existing employees instead of hiring. However, it is not about overloading people’s workload but rather recognising and activating untapped internal talent. When executed well, it allows employees to expand into new roles and acquire new skills while supporting businesses in their workforce needs.
There are three main forms of quiet hiring, known as the Quiet Hiring Triangle:
- Internal Redeployment – Moving existing employees into new or expanded roles to cover the business’s emerging needs.
- Upskilling or Reskilling – Providing training so employees can take on new responsibilities or move into growth areas.
- Short-Term Specialists – Bringing in contractors or freelancers temporarily to fill skill gaps without adding permanent headcount.
When implemented correctly, the quiet hiring triangle helps to balance internal mobility, skill development, and specialist outsourcing. Partnering with HR to experts like E.L Blue can help ensure HR alignment, and this balance is strategically designed.
Why Quiet Hiring Is Trending in Australia
Australia has been experiencing specialised skill shortages for years in sectors such as healthcare, construction and technology. Jobs and Skills Australia’s June 2025 Report found that specialised or emerging roles in these industries are particularly hard to fill. Another factor at play is the cost of recruitment, and post-pandemic budget constraints mean businesses are facing more pressure to improve retention with limited budgets. This is causing more HR teams to look internally and identify pathways for existing employees to grow or pivot into new roles and priorities. Quiet hiring is giving HR teams the practical people-first response to move towards skills-based workforce planning and internal mobility over traditional models.
Benefits of Quiet Hiring for Businesses and HR
When implemented correctly, quiet hiring offers a number of benefits for organisations.
Here are the key benefits:
- Agility: By being able to quickly respond to evolving business needs without the delay of recruitment.
- Cost Efficiency: Through reduced advertising, recruitment agency, and onboarding costs.
- Retention: Employees who see growth and upskilling opportunities are more likely to stay.
- Capability Growth: Workforces become equipped with the right skills, ensuring they are future-ready.
- Cultural Stability: Helps to retain company values, knowledge and relationships by investing in current employees rather than growing the team.
The Risks and Challenges of Quiet Hiring
Quiet hiring also has a unique set of risks and challenges for HR departments.
For example:
- Burnout: When employees are given additional responsibilities without formal training, boundaries, or support, it can result in disengagement or burnout.
- Unclear Expectations: Without clear job descriptions or performance expectations, employees may feel taken advantage of or be unsure about what is expected of them.
- Legal and Compliance Risks: HR compliance is key when it comes to implementing quiet hiring practices. Under the Fair Work Act and Modern Awards in Australia, companies must have a formal consultation with their employees and a pay review when entering into a new role.
Compliance Checklist
Ethical Quiet Hiring Framework
To ensure organisations are correctly managing and implementing quiet hiring in their company, it is important to implement an ethical quiet hiring framework. This ensures fairness and that trust is maintained by your employees.
It is guided by three core principles:
- Transparency- Clearly communicate why the role is expanding or redeployment is happening. Employees should be aware of how their contributions and skills are supporting overarching company goals.
- Consent- Offer employees the opportunity for growth rather than imposing on them. Employees should feel comfortable opting in, negotiating and setting boundaries when taking on additional work.
- Reward- When expanding employees’ roles or placing them with new responsibilities, they should be recognised with fair compensation, learning opportunities or clear pathways to promotion.
By following this framework, organisations can remain compliant and strengthen their employee morale, as those who feel supported and rewarded are more likely to view quiet hiring as a career development opportunity over an obligation and added workload.
When Quiet Hiring Isn’t the Right Fit
Although quiet hiring is a strong method for most organisations, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and it may not be ideal for all companies. For example, if the role requires a specialised skill that can’t be developed quickly, it may be better to fill the skill gap with someone with experience. Another example is if teams are already at capacity with their workloads, quiet hiring will only add to the stress. In these cases, we suggest a balanced approach where HR departments take a dual approach to hiring, where they upskill internally but also hire externally.
To effectively implement this, receiving trusted workforce planning services from organisations such as E.L Blue can help management decide how to use quiet hiring to their advantage and ensure both compliance and employee wellbeing are protected.
Building Smarter, Stronger Teams
Quiet hiring should not be used as a way to cut costs, but rather as a strategic workforce planning tool to build agility and long-term growth of an organisation. By taking an ethical approach to quiet hiring, HR departments can turn skill shortages into long-term opportunities. This empowers both companies and employees to develop their skills and fill skill gaps that strengthen their loyalty and company engagement.
As leading HR outsourcing experts, we partner with organisations across Australia to guide them in building HR workforce strategies that align with company and employee needs. If you are ready to implement quiet hiring strategies or need guidance on developing a robust HR compliant strategy, get in touch with our team today.