澳大利亚统计局的数据显示，过去一年澳大利亚的工作转换率创历史新低，仅7.2%的劳动力完成了工作变动，这意味着约100万人在过去12个月内更换了工作场所[1]。相比2022-2023年失业率为3.5%时的历史高峰期，当前4.4%的失业率下工作流动性出现了显著下滑[1]。
经济学家分析指出，工人的谨慎态度和缺乏安全感是造成这一现象的主要原因[1]。为了寻求更好职位而主动离职的比例从三分之一大幅下降至不足25%[1]，这反映出劳动力的求职心态发生了重大转变。数据进一步显示，超过55%的员工在现有雇主处工作已达1-10年之久[1]。后疫情时期，在职位上工作不足一年的员工占比也从超过21%下降至16.4%[1]。
澳洲央行行长Michele Bullock警告称，没有生产率增长，经济将难以实现强劲增长而不对通胀造成压力[1]。Indeed网站亚太地区经济学家Callam Pickering则指出，当前工人的心态表现为"谨慎、担忧和缺乏安全感"[1]，这种心理状态可能正在拖累澳大利亚的整体经济生产率。
Australia's job switching rate has plummeted to its lowest level on record, with just 7.2 percent of the workforce changing employers over the past year, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics [1]. This represents approximately one million workers who made the transition, a stark contrast to the peak mobility seen in 2022–2023 when the unemployment rate stood at 3.5 percent [1]. The current unemployment rate now sits at 4.4 percent, yet workers appear increasingly reluctant to pursue new opportunities [1].
Economists attribute this reluctance to a pervasive sense of caution and insecurity among employees. Indeed's Asia-Pacific economist Callam Pickering characterized workers as "cautious, concerned and insecure" [1], highlighting anxieties that are stifling career movements. The data further reveals that the proportion of workers leaving their jobs for better positions has declined sharply from one-third to below 25 percent, while more than 55 percent of employees have remained with their current employer for one to ten years [1]. Post-pandemic trends show an even more dramatic shift: the share of workers in their positions for less than one year has fallen from over 21 percent to 16.4 percent [1].
The decline in job mobility carries significant economic implications. Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock warned that "without sustained weak productivity growth, the economy cannot grow strongly without putting pressure on inflation," underscoring concerns that reduced workforce dynamism may be contributing to productivity stagnation [1]. This hesitancy to change roles could perpetuate slower economic growth unless labor market confidence improves.