Expected Recruitment Trends: What Projects are Stimulating

The Defence Strategic Review has been the talk of the industry over the past year. We have all pondered what projects will gain traction and what projects will slow down. For almost a decade, many major Defence projects have been running concurrently and across the country. We have updated our Defence Project map of the acquisition and sustainment projects that will drive the majority of the hiring activity in the defence industry.

Our Defence Director, Rob Kremer, has commented on the hiring trends that we are expecting to see across the states.

Queensland

In Queensland, we are seeing steady recruitment activity associated with in-service support of aerospace platforms, and strong interest from workers in the Loyal Wingman UAS. Loyal Wingman, also commonly known as the Ghost Bat, is an uncrewed aircraft with the integration of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.

Within the next 12 months, the REDSPICE (Resilience, Effects, Defence, Space, Intelligence, Cyber and Enablers) initiative will create a demand in Southeast Queensland for ICT skillsets. The aim of REDSPICE is to address future challenges and potential threats. Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) is currently expanding to Brisbane and Melbourne, recruiting personnel for the REDSPICE project.

New South Wales

In New South Wales, we are seeing strong demand for maritime and aerospace sustainment workers in Sydney and the Hunter regions respectively. There is strong worker interest in the XL-AUV platform. XL-AUV, also known as the Ghost Shark, is an autonomous undersea vehicle designed to give the Navy the option to deliver underwater effects in high-risk environments.

Victoria

Victoria is dominated by land acquisition and sustainment projects, especially for LAND 400, which will replace the Army’s current M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers with up to 129 new combat vehicle systems (Infantry Fighting Vehicles).

There is also a steady demand for engineers and logisticians with naval experience for sustainment work in Melbourne. As ASD expands to Melbourne for the REDSPICE program there will be a strong demand for ICT skillsets.

South Australia

In South Australia, the largest program that will drive the hiring in SA is SEA 5000, across white and blue-collar skillsets. SEA 5000 also known as the Hunter Class Frigate program is scoped to replace the Anzac class frigates with nine frigates optimised for anti-submarine warfare. The Collins Class LOTE (life of type extension) activities are also expected to drive hiring activity in SA.

JORN sustainment and development will also see steady levels of hiring activity, with high demand for engineering skillsets with defence industry experience. JORN has been developed to provide sea and air surveillance across the north of Australia. The network is the country’s first early warning system, providing the ADF with 24-hour surveillance of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Western Australia

In Western Australia, the upgrade and sustainment projects for ANZAC Class (ANZAC ISS/PSR) and Collins Class (CCSM ISS/LOTE) are seeing steady demand within engineering, logistics and project management skill sets with marine experience.

ACT

In the ACT, acquisition projects will continue to drive demand for workers with Above the Line skill sets. However, the Government is focused on growing the permanent Australian Public Service workforce between now and 2024 and using above-the-line contractors only to fill in the gaps. Due to this, a cooling of industry hiring activity is anticipated in the short term.

Want to know more?

For additional insight and to explore what the data means for your defence industry organisation and how to attract the workers you need, get in contact with our consultants today.

Project Glossary

ACPB ISS	Armidale Class Patrol Boats In-Service Support
AIR 555	Airborne Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Electronic Warfare Capability Facilities Works
AIR 2097	New fleet of light helicopters
AIR 3024	Replacing the aerospace test and evaluation, research and experimentation equipment at the Woomera Test Range.
AIR 3029	Relocation of an SST from New Mexico to WA to monitor orbiting space satellites, debris and asteroids.
AIR 5349	Acquisition of the Growler airborne electronic attack aircraft.
AIR 5431	Fixed Defence Air Traffic Control Surveillance Sensors
AIR 6500	Joint air battle management systems capability. Works closely with LAND 19.
AIR 6500	Integrated Air and Missile Defence
AIR 7000	Triton Remotely Piloted Unmanned Aircraft System
AIR 7003	Procurement of an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)
AIR 9000	Replacement of S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters.
ANZAC ISS/PSR	ANZAC Class In-Service Support / Platform Systems Remediation.
AOR ISS	Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment In-Service Support
ARH ISS	Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter In-Service Support
AUKUS	Australia, United Kingdom, and United States partnership
C-17 ISS	Globemaster III In-Service Support
C-27 ISS	Spartan In-Service Support
C-130 ISS	Hercules In-Service Support
CCPB ISS	Cape Class Patrol Boats In-Service Support
CCSM ISS/LOTE	Collins Class Submarine In-Service Support and Life Of Type Extension
DDG ISS	Air Warfare Destroyer In-Service Support
E-7A ISS	Wedgetail aircraft with long-range surveillance and communications capabilities In-Service Support
EA-18 ISS	Growler Electronic Attack Aircraft In-Service Support
F/A-18 ISS	Fighter Attack Aircraft In-Service Support
F-35 ISS	F-35A Joint Strike Fighter In-Service Support
FMSC	Fleet Marine Services Contract
HATS	Helicopter Aircrew Training System
ICT 2270	Vetting Transformation project to improve vetting services
ICT 2273	Maritime Fleet Information Environment (FIE) modernisation program
ICT 2283	Defence enterprise resource planning project to rationalise Defence ICT applications environment
JORN	Jindalee Operational Radar Network
JP 2008	Next Generation of Satellite Communication Systems
JP 2047	ICT Transformation Project
JP 2060	Deployable health
JP 2072	Delivery of combat radios and ancillary equipment to replace the Wagtail, Pintail and Raven Fleets
JP 2080	Human resource payroll system
JP 2089	Upgrade of the current information communication and network technologies within key defence systems to standardise and speed up data sharing and facilitate centralised control
JP 2096	Multi-phase project to create an integrated and unified dataset for ISR and decision support
JP 8190	Modernise Fuel Support Systems
JP 9101	Enhanced Defence High-Frequency Communications System
JP 9102	New military satellite capability
JP 9131	Defensive Cyberspace Operations; to strengthen the cyber defences of deployed ADF networks and combat platforms
JP 9201 ASDSS	Acquisition of next-generation satellite technology (Australian Defence SATCOM System)
JP 9711	Defence Core Simulation Capability Project
KC-30A ISS	Multi-Role Tanker Transport that enables air-to-air refuelling and strategic air lift in-service support
LAND 19	Short Range Ground Based Air Defence (SRGBAD) capability
LAND 53	Night Fighting Equipment replacement by L3 Harris Oceania.
LAND 121	High-capability field vehicles, modules and trailers (protected and non-protected)
LAND 125	Modernise ADF’s Combat Capability
LAND 129	Procurement of Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems
LAND 154	Counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED) program
LAND 155	Delivery of Enhanced Gap-Crossing Equipment, including the delivery of bridge bays and logistics packages
LAND 159	Modernisation of small arms and direct dire support weapons
LAND 200	Collation of the two distinct battle management system requirements of LAND 75 and LAND 125
LAND 400	Acquisition of Armed Reconnaissance Vehicles (ARV) and Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) for the Australian Army
LAND 2072	Enhance the ADF’s land-based communications capability.
LAND 2110	Improvement of the ADF's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Defence (CBRND) capability
LAND 3025	Counter-Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (C-CBRNE) support
LAND 4111	Protected Mobility Mobilisation. Standardising and modernising the protected mobility capability
LAND 4502 ISS	Shelters and supporting infrastructure for additional CH-47F Chinook helicopters In-Service Support
LAND 4503	Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Replacement
LAND 4507	Multi Role Helicopter Rapid Replacement
LAND 8113	Long Range Fires
LAND 8116	Revived program to supply a locally built, self-propelled howitzer artillery system
LAND 8120	Earth moving and material handling equipment
Land 8160	Combat Engineering Vehicles
LAND 8710	Army Littoral Manoeuvre
LHD ISS	Landing Helicopter Dock In-Service Support
Loyal Wingman	Australia’s first domestically designed and built combat drone
LSD ISS	Land Systems Division In-Service Support
M1 A1 ISS	The Abrams tank In-Service Support
M113 ISS	Armoured Personnel Carrier In-Service Support
MHC ISS	Mine-Hunter Coastal Class In-Service Support
MMC	Munitions Manufacturer Contract
MMEW	Modernisation of Maritime Electronic Warfare
MRH/ARH ISS	Multi Role Helicopter / Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter In-Service Support
Nulka	Anti-ship missile countermeasure
P-8 ISS	Maritime patrol aircraft which is replacing the P-3 In-Service Support
PPBR	Replacement and In-Service Support Contracts of a fleet of Pacific Patrol Boats (PPB)
REDSPICE	Resilience, Effects, Defence, Space, Intelligence, Cyber and Enablers
RMP	Regional Maintenance Plan. In-Service Support naval platforms
SEA 1180/CAN	Construction of 12 Offshore Patrol Vessels in Adelaide and Perth
SEA 1350	Maritime Underwater Tracking Range (MUTR)
SEA 1442	Upgrade of ANZAC Class Frigate communication systems
SEA 1448	ANZAC Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD) upgrade
SEA 1654	Procurement of two Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment Ships (AOR)
SEA 1905	Program for future maritime mine countermeasures and military survey capability into NSW and ACT
SEA 2273	Fleet Information Environment (FIE) modernisation project
SEA 5000	Next generation of naval surface combatants, replacing the ANZAC and FFG class vessels. Also referred to as the Hunter Program
USMC Support	Development of facilities to support 1,100 US Marines on rotation in northern Australia
XL-AUV	Extra-Large Autonomous Undersea Vehicles