Increase attributed to shifting attitudes on flexibility, gender equality, work-life balance
More employers in Australia are using their parental leave benefits as a "selling point" to attract more talent, according to job posting data from Indeed.
There were 12.8% Australian job posting on Indeed in June that used phrases including "parental leave" and/or "maternity leave" in their job descriptions.
This is an increase from an average of 10.6% last year and 8.2% i 2022, according to Indeed.
Source: Indeed Hiring Lab
Callam Pickering, senior economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, clarified that the findings do not measure how many actual employers offer paid parental leave (PPL).
"But it highlights a shift on how often PPL is used as a selling point to potential employees," Pickering said on a blog post.
According to the economist, a shift in attitudes towards workplace flexibility, gender equality, and work-life balance has played some role in this increase.
"Strong competition for talent may also be a factor, encouraging Australian employers to find ways to stand out," he said. "Parental leave benefits, combined with other flexibility of work-life balance benefits, may be one way to achieve that."
By location, employers in Western Australia are most likely (15%) to mention their PPL policies in their job postings. They are followed by employers in Tasmania (14.1%) and New South Wales (12.7%).
On the other hand, employers in Victoria are least likely to use their PPL benefits to promote their job openings (11%).
Meanwhile, job postings from the engineering sectors are most likely to mention their PPL policy in job postings, according to the report.
Employers in the industrial engineering sector (22.6%) mentioned their PPL benefits the most, followed by those in civil engineering (21.9%).
Some 18.9% of employers in the human resources sector also mentioned their PPL policy in their job postings, according to the report.
Source: Indeed Hiring Lab
Australia's parental leave system is made up of a combination of government-funded and employer-funded leave, according to Pickering.
The government currently offers a 22-week time off under parental leave, but this is set to expand to 24 weeks by next year and then 26 weeks by 2026.
While relatively low by global standards, Pickering said Australia's PPL system is fully funded through the tax system and requires no additional contribution from employees.
