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Best Applicant Tracking System 2026 Australia

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Applicant Tracking Systems in Australia (2026): Unbiased Comparison and Buyer's Guide

  • Last Updated: January 23, 2026
  • Pricing Verified:  January 23, 2026
  • Features Checked:  January, 2026


 

About The Author

Reviewed by: Shivam Gupta, HR Specialist at Pitch N Hire

  • Experience: 10+ years in HR and recruitment management
  • Previous Role: HR Specialist, Gigde Global
  • Current Position: HR Specialist, Pitch N Hire
  • Expertise Focus: ATS platform evaluation, UK recruitment compliance, HR technology implementation
  • Contact: shivam.gupta@gigde.com | LinkedIn: Pitch N Hire

About Pitch N Hire

  • Founded: 2017
  • What We Do: Pitch N Hire is a revolutionary applicant tracking software UK platform designed to streamline and simplify the hiring process for UK organizations. Our platform equips companies with all the essential tools needed to advertise jobs across multiple channels effectively, make data-driven hiring decisions, seamlessly sort and manage applications, design branded mobile-responsive career pages, track recruitment funnels from a single unified dashboard, and attract top talent to build exceptional teams.
  • Team Size: 51-200 employees across the UK
  • Website: https://pitchnhire.com/
  • Key Contact: info@pitchnhire.com | https://pitchnhire.com/contact-us


Introduction

Talent pool visualization showing candidate matching and selection using Pitch N Hire ATS

An Australian business's applicant tracking system selection encompasses more than simply optimizing recruitment operations. It also encompasses business compliance, candidate experience, and the quality of decisions made in an increasingly competitive talent market.

An ATS, or Applicant Tracking System, is a software recruitment tool that manages an organization's hiring activities from candidate advertisement to onboarding. ATS systems automate resume collection and candidate tracking, and facilitate communication within a hiring team, among other compliance activities.

In Australia in 2026, recruitment systems will still be considered ancillary within the country's unique business environment. Issues of fair work law, state-specific employment legislation, compliance to the Australian Privacy Act with respect to candidate data, and recruitment system integration with Australian job boards (e.g., SEEK, Indeed Australia) are detrimental to a business's recruitment effectiveness combined with a country's skill shortages and remote work. It is no surprise, therefore, that most Australian businesses consider international, non-Australian ATS systems to be unsatisfactory.

The consequences of poor applicant tracking software choices are steep. Applicant tracking software has to be compatible with compliance issues. Failing this means litigation. Productivity can be lost. Candidate experience can be poor. These failures, individually, are bad. Together, they mean questionable hires that cost your business thousands of dollars. This guide has to be one of the best recruitment software guide for your business size, industry candidate, and your specific recruitment.

Australia ATS Pick Summary (2026)

Let's see what each tracking software platform has to offer for investment.

What are Australia's leading ATS systems for businesses in 2026?

Australia has been ranked using the acceptance of the terms of the platform's Evaluative Framework. Each platform has its strengths. What is deemed to be the best is based on the requirements of the organization.

Need to Compare ATS by your Company Size? You can compare your organization's size, team composition, and recruitment. Based on that, we will personalize your solution.

Systems Australia businesses are using in 2026:

Category

ATS Platform

Best Overall ATS (Australia)Greenhouse
Best ATS for Small BusinessesEmployment Hero
Best ATS for Mid-Market CompaniesJobAdder
Best ATS for EnterprisesBullhorn
Best ATS for AI-Driven HiringPitch N Hire
Best ATS for Compliance-Focused HiringSentrient

 

 

 

 

The Methods Used to Evaluate ATS Software for Australia (2026)

Recruiting software may affects your entire hiring process,that’s why we have developed clear assessment methodologies for each of the assessment software solutions on the list.

Evaluation Criteria

Understanding of Australia's Fair Work Act & Privacy Compliant Act: We focused on the compliant candidate communication templates, and the record keeping, auditing, and data hosting (at the Privacy Act compliant level) to understand which platforms are Claiming to know and comply with the Australian employment law, and Australian Privacy Act(s).

Usability for Australian Teams: We assessed ease of use, and the User's Interface (UI) with the Hiring Manager, Mobile User, and Time to produce new users.

Concerning the Australian Recruitment Ecosystem: Users were able to reach all local job boards, including SEEK, Jora, and Australia's Indeed, and xero, MYOB, and Employment Hero Payroll for Australian integrated payroll systems, which were extremely valuable.

Direct Pricing: Pricing offered in Australian dollars and flexible pricing options for Australian's SMEs to Enterprises was appreciated along with no hidden charges and direct pricing.

Reviewed Evidence: Australian HR independent communities, and G2 and Capterra were used to cross reference each platform for real marketing performance and claims.

Implementation & Support Quality: We evaluated onboarding durations, the Australian support team's time zones, training materials, and the handling of compliance questions.

Disclosure

This guide is the result of independent research and is designed to assist Australian businesses in evaluating ATS options. While some of the platforms included may offer partnership opportunities, all rankings are solely based on the analytical capabilities of the product, customer feedback, review surveys, compliance, and alignment with hiring within the Australian market. We do not charge for placement or ranking.

Why Australian Businesses Need a Specialized ATS

Why Generic ATS Tools Fail in Australia

Many ATS  that are designed with international customers in mind may appear to have all the features that Australian businesses need, but once implemented, the customer runs into a number of significant obstacles. Before committing, Australian businesses should consider these.

Excessive Complexity of the Fair Work Act: The Fair Work Act is one of the most thorough and complex employment laws in the world, and it regulates everything from advertising a position to termination. ATS's that are designed for the US or UK markets are often missing Enterprise Agreement templates, do not have Modern Award coverage, and do not have the redundancy consultation requirements. The absence of these features is not just annoying, it creates compliance risks.

State-Specific Employment Variations: Different Australian states and territories have their own additional employment criteria, especially in healthcare, education, and construction. Long service leave entitlements in Victoria differ from those in Queensland. NSW has certain regulations regarding portable long service leave for building and construction workers. Your recruitment software must operate within these regional restrictions, which international systems often overlook.

Privacy Act & Data Sovereignty: Australian Privacy Act, which governs the collection and usage of personal information, including data about candidates, may not align with the business practices of international ATS vendors. Australian ATS Vendors must comply with the Australian Privacy Act and provide Australian data hosting for ATS services, which international vendors do not provide.

Australian Local Job Board Integration: SEEK is the market leader in Australian recruitment, unlike international job boards. An ATS with SEEK integration is critical, for without it, clients must manually post jobs, enter data multiple times, and lose visibility on where candidates are in the funnel. The same is true for Indeed Australia, Jora, CareerOne, and niche job boards.

To summarize, an ATS designed for the U.S. market may do well in integrating with LinkedIn and Indeed.com, but it often disregards the Australian hiring market's compliance, integration, and other requirements.

Download Free ATS Compliance Checklist (Australia) - Ensure your recruitment process meets Fair Work requirements.

Best Applicant Tracking Systems in Australia (2026)

To better understand the applicant tracking systems on the Australian market, we have tailored our recommendations based on company size and particular needs instead of asserting only a single solution as the best. This way, we assist you in selecting systems better tailored to your company type.

ATS for Small Businesses and Startups (Australia)

Ideal for: 1-50 employees

Small Australian businesses require systems that are streamlined, affordable, and can be implemented without dedicating IT resources. Small Australian businesses have specific needs, and these systems strive to meet that need.

Top Recommendations:

  • Employment Hero: Designed for Australian SMBs with payroll and HR functionality
  • Breezy HR: Good pricing and an easy to use system with collaboration tools
  • Workable: Great sourcing with AI candidate matching

Small business owners often report that the recruitment software available is either too simple (like a spreadsheet) or way too complicated (enterprise tools that are unnecessary). These systems are in the middle of the spectrum, providing professional tracking tools, compliance tools, and the potential for expansion, all without overwhelming the small teams.

Find the Best ATS for Your Small Business - get matched with the systems that work for your budget and team size.

Best Automation and AI ATS Australia

Best for: Companies aiming for optimal efficiency and diminished time to hire.

AI and Automation in recruiting tech are changing the game. These tools screen resumes, match candidates, schedule interviews, and predict hiring success.

Top Recommendations:

  • Pitch N Hire: AI matching and compliance for Australian businesses
  • Ceipal: Automation for sourcing, screening, and engagement
  • Hirevue: AI video interviewing and candidate scoring

At the high end, AI recruiting tools can reduce time to hire by 60% by screening resumes, scoring candidates on their skills, and predicting potential success. This is particularly valuable for employers dealing with large volumes of applications and tough skill gaps.

Compare AI-Powered ATS Platforms - Automation feature comparisons.

ATS for Australian Mid-Market Companies

Best for: 50-500 employees

Mid-Market companies have their own set of problems. They are large enough to require advanced tools, but don't want the added expense of enterprise level complexity.

Top Recommendations:

  • JobAdder: A proven Australian business with one of the best integrations with local job boards
  • Pinpoint: Solid analytics and employer branding
  • Recruitee: A strong business with customisation and collaborative hiring

Mid-market companies have a higher need for reporting than small business tools offer, plus the need for more advanced features like pipeline analytics and structured interview scorecards, because they usually have a number of hiring processes happening concurrently across different teams. These tools provide this level of sophistication.

Compare features relevant to growing Australian companies for mid-market teams to get ATS recommendations.

ATS for Enterprise & Staffing Agencies

Ideal for: 500+ employees or recruitment agencies with several client accounts

Enterprise companies and staffing agencies need recruitment software that is more resilient to high volume hiring, complex processes, and advanced compliance requirements.

Top Recommendations:

  • Bullhorn: Leading platform for Australian recruitment agencies with permanent and temporary desks
  • Greenhouse: Fully featured enterprise ATS with great structured hiring
  • iCIMS: Scalable solution with a strong tech ecosystem

These tools are created for controlling thousands of applications every month while providing the same business process in a standardized way. They offer the following features that smaller companies will never need: multi-entity management for agencies with many clients, advanced compliance processes for more regulated industries, white-labeling for agency ownership branding, and upper-level security with data governance.

Enterprise ATS Consultation - consult with experts on implementation and enterprise pricing.

In-Depth ATS Reviews Australia

Employment Hero

Overview: Employment Hero is an Australian HR and recruitment software that is focused on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and combines applicant tracking, payroll, onboarding, and employee management into one system.

Best For: Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who need an all-in-one solution for HR with automated compliance.

Key Features:

  • Systems integration with SEEK, Indeed Australia, and CareerOne
  • Automation of Fair Work Act compliance and Award templates
  • Onboarding with payroll to eliminate data duplication
  • Responsive candidate applications
  • Support based in Australia

Pros:

  • Custom built for Australian HR regulations
  • Great pricing for ATS + payroll
  • Short turnaround for go-lives (usually 2-4 weeks)
  • Active community of users and good software development cadence

Cons:

  • Not ideal for firms who only need recruitment
  • Advanced reporting is a legacy of the more expensive tiers
  • Not as much flexibility as enterprise systems to customize

Pricing: From $6-8 Australian dollars, (AUD) per employee monthly, on the software, with recruitment features costing $10-12 (AUD) per employee monthly on the higher tier plans.

Compliance Level: High - purpose built for Australian employment laws.

Verified Reviews: G2 (450+ reviews), 4.4/5; Capterra (280+ reviews), 4.5/5. Users often mention the quality of compliance support and features for Australia.

Verdict: For Australian SMBs needing integrated HR and recruitment functionality, Employment Hero is the clear winner. For businesses that struggle with Fair Work compliance, the features alone validate the expense.

Compare This ATS With Others

JobAdder

Overview: JobAdder is a cloud-based recruitment software solution, built in Australia for mid-market companies and recruitment agencies covering the permanent and temporary hiring spectrum.

Best For: Recruitment agencies and growing Australian businesses.

Key Features:

  • Outstanding Australian job board integrations (Indeed, SEEK, Jora, LinkedIn)
  • Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities
  • Configurable recruitment workflows and pipelines
  • Mobile application for on-the-go recruiters
  • Integrated SMS and Email communication

Pros:

  • Deep local market understanding (Australian-founded)
  • Strong recruitment agency functionality (client management, timesheets)
  • Feature/usability ratio is excellent
  • Responsive support team based in Australia

Cons:

  • Sales engagement is required for pricing clarity
  • Greater complexity vs simpler systems
  • Limited advanced features on lower tiers

Pricing (AUD): User-based Custom pricing. For mid-market deployments, expect $150-300 AUD/user/month.

Compliance Level: High - includes Australian specific compliance features.

Verified Reviews: G2: 4.3/5 (180+ reviews), Capterra 4.4/5 (120+ reviews). Users seem to point out these two platforms as positives: Job board integration and features designed for agencies.

Verdict: For Australian recruitment agencies and mid-market companies needing more than entry-level platforms, JobAdder seems to be one of the primary contenders. Particularly strong for companies with a need to manage both permanent and contract recruitment.

Compare This ATS With Others

Greenhouse

Overview: One the the most popular enterprise ATS in the US, Greenhouse offers a more structured approach to hiring, making it particularly attractive for Australian tech companies and larger firms.

Best For: For the larger enterprise companies and scale up firms who place a premium on recruitment quality and a data driven approach.

Key Features:

  • Candidates evaluation based on customizable scorecards
  • Reporting dashboards
  • Australian compliance features
  • Integration with 200+ other platforms
  • Diversity and Inclusion features
  • Interviewer training and hiring manager enablement

Pros:

  • Best in class features to enable structured interviews
  • Great recruitment analytics
  • Great for employer branding
  • Better than average release of new features

Cons:

  • Australian compliance features not as strong as local vendors
  • Additional enterprise pricing
  • Lengthy implementation process
  • Integrated used to Australian job boards are needed

Pricing (AUD): Custom pricing for enterprises. For the Australian customers the pricing typically starts in the range of $850-1,200 AUD. This is for the smaller enterprise deployments, and the pricing scales with the number of users and features.

Compliance Level: Medium - strong general compliance features but needs adaptations for Australia specific needs.

Verified Reviews: G2: 4.4/5, 3,000+ reviews, Capterra: 4.5/5, 800+ reviews. Reviews mention hiring analytics and process, as well as structuring.

Verdict: Greenhouse analytics and process tools are worth the premium for Australia analytics Australia tech firms and enterprise companies. Customers doing hundreds of hires per year will greatly benefit from the process optimization.

Compare This ATS With Others

Bullhorn

Overview: Bullhorn is the dominant ATS for staffing and recruitment agencies worldwide, including Australia. It is tailored for agencies that handle both permanent and temporary recruitment.

Best For: Australian staffing firms and recruitment agencies that also manage client relationships.

Key Features:

  • Holistic agency management (client invoicing, timesheets, job placements)
  • Distinct workflows for permanent vs temporary recruitment
  • CRM for candidates and clients
  • Integration with Australian payroll providers
  • Mobile apps for recruiting and timesheet management

Pros:

  • Robust temporary staffing functionalities (billing/pay rates, timesheets)
  • Strong user and support community in Australia
  • Integration with several other systems

Cons:

  • Tough user experience, steep learning curve
  • Other users have noted sporadic lagging with large sets of data
  • Customization is frequently highly technical

Pricing: Agency-focused pricing usually begins around $400-600 AUD per user per month, with tiered pricing for larger groups.

Compliance level: High. Compliance with Australian staffing agency laws and payroll integration is included.

Reviews: 4.1/5 on G2 from 900+ reviews. 4.2/5 on Capterra from 500+ reviews. Agency users appreciate the rich feature set, despite the steep learning curve.

Verdict: Bullhorn is the leading agency management system for Australian recruitment firms with both temporary and permanent placement desks. The investment is warranted for agencies. Corporate recruiters should explore other systems, unless coordinating large scale contractor placements.

Compare This ATS With Others

Pitch N Hire

Overview: Pitch N Hire is an AI-powered applicant tracking system that includes intelligent candidate matching and automated screening, and recruitment workflow automation with compliance that fits Australian requirements.

Best For: Organizations looking to use AI and automation to decrease time-to-hire while remaining compliant.

Key Features:

  • AI resume filtering and candidate matching
  • Automated candidate communication and interview booking
  • Recruitment pipelines and workflow customization
  • Audit trails and compliance tracking
  • Job board and HR system integrations

Pros:

  • Reduced manual screening because of advanced AI
  • Clear pricing
  • Intuitive design; easy to use and quick to learn
  • Automation provides great returns for small-to-medium businesses

Cons:

  • Newer Australia-based customers compared to other platforms
  • Job board integrations may need additional setup
  • More advanced AI features only available on higher pricing tiers
  • Less functionality than special agency platforms

Pricing (AUD): Starting around $80 to $120 AUD per month for small teams and $200 to $400 AUD per month for mid-market plans with complete AI features. Clearly defined tiers.

Compliance Level: Medium to High - includes compliance tracking features with custom settings for Australia.

Verified Reviews: 4.3/5 on G2 (150+ reviews), 4.4/5 on Capterra (90+ reviews). Users highlight the AI features and clear pricing.

Verdict: Australian businesses emphasizing automation and the use of AI for greater efficiency stand to benefit the most from Pitch N Hire. Most appropriate for small-to-medium and mid-market businesses wanting to make advancements in their recruitment processes without spending at an enterprise level.

Breezy HR

Overview: HR Breezy is a user-friendly recruitment software that aims for small and startup businesses in Australia for facilitating streamlined processes and fostering collaboration.

Best for: Small teams using recruitment software with not a lot of applicant tracking components.

Key features:

  • Simple drag-and-drop candidate pipeline management
  • automatic communication, scheduling, and tracking of candidates
  • video interview
  • reports and analytics

Pros:

  • Simple to learn.
  • Budget-friendly for new businesses
  • Quick to set up.
  • Great for remote team collaboration.

Cons:

  • Missing advanced features that a drop solution would have.
  • Australia-specific features for less compliance.
  • Limited reporting features on the basic tiers.
  • Less integrations.

Pricing: Monthly pricing starts at around $200 for small teams (max 3 users) with transparent pricing that goes up to $500 for growing businesses.

Compliance Level: Medium, with a standard set of features for compliance and manual adjustments for Australian features.

Review rating: 4.4 G2 (over 600 reviews) and 4.5 on Capterra (over 300 reviews). Most reviews highlight the low cost and the user-friendly software.

Verdict: HR Breezy is a good option for small and startup businesses in Australia that want a simple solution to recruitment software.

Workable

Overview: Workable is one of the more widely used recruitment software platforms around the world and is now expanding into Australia. They offer strong sourcing and AI assisted Candidate matching as well as Job Posting Distribution.

Best For: Workable is suitable for small to mid sized businesses with a strong Employer Branding and Candidate Sourcing focus.

Key Features:

  • Employee Referral Program Management
  • AI Sourcing of Candidates from Multiple Platforms
  • Mobile Recruiting
  • Video Interview and Assessment Tools
  • One-Click Job Distribution to 200+ Platforms (Including AU)

Pros:

  • Tools for Employer Branding and Career Site Building are Strong
  • Comprehensive Features for a Competitive Price
  • AI-Assisted Sourcing Reduces Time to Find Candidates

Cons:

  • Premium Features Come at an Additional Cost
  • Manual Set Up Required for AU Compliance
  • Customer Support is Predominantly Based in the USA
  • Features Can be Difficult to Learn

Pricing: Starting at $180 monthly for entry level plans. This goes up to and above $500 monthly for plans that include premium features and allow for larger teams.

Cost Level: Medium

Verified Reviews: 800+ Reviews on G2 for 4.6/5 and 400+ on Capterra with 4.5/5. Features and Sourcing Capabilities are the most noted. Overall features received appreciation as well.

Verdict: For Australian SMBs who have trouble with candidate sourcing, Workable offers the most value. Workable's job board distribution and sourcing tools provide justification for businesses operating in competitive talent markets.

Compare This ATS With Others

Sentrient

Overview: Sentrient is an Australian recruitment software provider, and its primary area of strength is in compliance-focused hiring for the healthcare, education and government sectors.

Best For: Sentrient is best suited for heavily regulated industries that require full, end-to-end compliance tracking and credentialing.

Key Features:

  • Detailed tracking of compliance and credentialing
  • Document management with turnover, or expiration, tracking
  • Regulatory audit trail tracking
  • APIs with Australian background check vendors
  • Workflow automations for compliance

Pros:

  • Designed for Australian compliance regulations
  • Best in class for education and healthcare recruitment
  • Document and credential management is best in class
  • Australian support with over regulation knowledge is beneficial

Cons:

  • Lacking features for generic recruitment
  • Pricing is higher for the added features that relate to compliance
  • Not ideal for industries that have no regulation
  • Limited features relative to the market leaders for integrations

Pricing (AUD): Pricing is customized to the individual organization's compliance needs and size. This typically falls in the range of $300-600 AUD per month, depending on the features and users.

Compliance Level: High - compliance features for regulated industries is best in class

Verified Reviews: 4.2/5 on G2 (80+ reviews), 4.3/5 on Capterra (50+ reviews). Users in healthcare and education appreciate the compliance features.

Verdict: Sentrient is best for Australian organizations in healthcare, education, and government where compliance is necessary. Features warrant premium pricing for specialized industries.

ATS Software Pricing in Australia (2026)

Knowing the pricing involved helps in developing realistic expectations in budget and ROI. ATS pricing in Australia is very broad, defined on features, size, and the vendors' place in the market


 

Feature

Pitch N Hire

JobAdder

Greenhouse

Employment Hero

Bullhorn

Fair Work ComplianceYesYesPartialYesYes
AI MatchingYesPartialYesNoPartial
SMB FriendlyYesPartialNoYesNo
Pricing TransparencyYesNoNoYesNo
Australian Job BoardsYesYesPartialYesYes
Agency FeaturesNoYesNoNoYes
Integrated PayrollNoPartialNoYesPartial
Advanced AnalyticsYesYesYesPartialYes
Mobile AppYesYesYesYesYes
Video InterviewingYesPartialPartialNoPartial

.

Free ATS Options

Some applicant tracking systems provide free versions, usually adequate for very small businesses, or those at very early stages of structured recruitment.

Advantages of free ATS systems include: No financial risk entailed, enables trial of recruitment software methodologies, and is adequate for businesses with infrequent hiring needs and facilitates a rudimentary process structure beyond spreadsheets.

Limitations include: Features are very basic (they usually allow only 1-2 activations of job postings at a time), compliance support is non-existent, functionality for Australia is not available, integration with job boards is nonexistent or very poor, candidate databases are capped to very low numbers, support is non-existent or very basic in the documentation.

Judgement: Free ATS systems are adequate for infrequent recruitment, but become limiting in short timeframes. Practically all Australian organizations surpass them in under a year.

Budget Tier ($50-150 AUD Monthly)

This category is fitting small Australian firms with an annual headcount growth of 5-15.

What you get: Basic tracking of applicants and management of pipelines, along with job postings to main job boards (often with posting credits), basic collaboration tools for small hiring teams, basic email templates for communications, and mobile to candidate data.

Popular platforms: Breezy HR (starter plans), Workable (basic tier), and a number of overseas platforms with support in Australia.

Best for: Startups, small retail businesses, professional services firms with 20 or fewer employees.

Mid-Market Tier ($150-500 AUD Monthly)

This is the sweet spot for fast-growing Australian businesses that are looking for a professional level of recruitment that avoids enterprise level complexity.

What you get: Full tracking of applicants along with customizable workflows, integration of advanced job boards such as SEEK and Indeed Australia, management of candidate relationships, scheduling and coordination of interviews, basic compliance monitoring, and the analytics and reporting that go with it, as well as integration with HR and payroll systems.

Popular platforms: Employment Hero (premium plans), JobAdder (small team pricing), Pitch N Hire (full-featured plans), Workable (standard tier).

Best for: Mid-market companies (between 50 and 250 employees), growing start-ups, small recruitment firms, and businesses that hire 20 or more people in a year.

Enterprise Tier ($500+ AUD Monthly)

Enterprise level pricing reflects more sophisticated requirements such as more comprehensive functionality, higher user counts, and more sophisticated compliance and integration needs.

What you get: Unlimited users and job postings, sophisticated analytics and reporting dashboards, structured scorecards and methodologies for hiring, extensive compliance and auditing functionalities, dedicated account management and customer support, custom integration API access, enterprise security features, SSO, and whitelabeling for agencies.

Marketplace ATS: Greenhouse, Bullhorn, iCIMS, SAP SuccessFactors.

Ideal customer: Very large companies (500+ employees), recruitment agencies with high headcount, companies with multiple sites, companies operating in heavily regulated environments.

What Are the Real Costs of ATS

The advertised platform fee is only part of your total cost. Consider implementation fees: setup, data transfer, workflow config, and training usually are an extra 10-30% clause to your first year.

For ATS Integration: Connecting to the employee lifecycle (payroll, HRIS, background check) and other apps may add some tech resource or consultant drag.

Job Board Steps: Some ATS charge extra for postings on premium job boards (e.g. SEEK). If you're hiring actively, expect to budget AUD 200-500 for job board postings.

Training Costs: There is an opportunity cost in training hiring managers since there is an investment of time.

Routine operating Resources: High levels of support, more training, and ongoing tweaks will draw more of your in-house resources or pull in a consultant

Taking all of the above into account, a more realistic total cost of ownership is 1.5-2x the platform fee.

Calculation of ATS ROI For Your Business - Use the calculator to determine expenses, and the time savings you could attain.

Best ATS and Australia's Industries

Industries are affected by various recruitment hurdles. Let's see how we can align your industry with the most suitable platforms.

Tech & Startups

Main Considerations: Rapid hiring cycles, high market competition, ability to assess candidates' technical skills, the ability to assess candidates remotely, emphasis on employer branding.

Preferred Platforms:

  • Greenhouse: For competitive markets, buyers enable quality and structure.
  • Workable: Excellent sourcing features to capture passive candidates.
  • Pitch N Hire: Efficient tech candidate screening through AI.

Tech firms should focus on platforms that enhance the candidate's and the employer's experience, as leading technical talent looks at both sides of the hiring process.

Medical & Healthcare

Main Considerations: Credential verification, registration in the system, compliance to AHPRA, background and immunization checks.

Preferred Platforms:

  • Sentrient: For healthcare compliance and credentialing.
  • Employment Hero: Strong compliance and onboarding merging
  • JobAdder: Medical credentialing adjustable workflows.

Compared to most other industries, recruitment in the healthcare industry has more intricacies. Therefore, platforms with credential expiration tracking are more critical.

Manufacturing & Trade

Main Considerations: licenses and certifications, skills-based, geographical and positional attrition, and engagement of blue-collar candidates.

Integrating systems you listed for recruitment are suitable for manufacturing companies as they will integrate with payroll and will be suitable for manufacturing employment structures.

Preferred Platforms:

  • Employment Hero combines payroll with other employment solutions.
  • Breezy HR has a simple interface that allows hiring managers who do not have an HR background to use the system.
  • JobAdder has an excellent system to recruit trade contractors and other permanent staff.

Manufacturing companies have a strong need for SMS communication, as most candidates prefer texting over emailing. Many candidates are blue-collar workers, so an SMS communication platform is a plus.

Staffing & Recruitment Agencies

Key Requirements: Client management, temporary and permanent separation, timesheet processing, margin tracking, and white labeling.

Preferred Platforms:

  • Bullhorn is the industry standard for agencies that manage both desks. For Bullhorn, the large multi-desk agencies are unmatched.
  • JobAdder has good agency features at a lower price point.

Recruitment agencies need completely different software than corporate hiring teams and generic ATS systems. These do not offer client management and billing integration or the temporary staffing processes that agencies need.

Finance & Professional Services

Key Requirements: Background screening integration, cultural fit assessment, structured interviewing, confidentiality, and compliance tracking.

Recommended Platforms:

  • Greenhouse: Structured hiring features help reduce bias and improve overall quality.
  • Workable: Effective assessment and screening
  • JobAdder: Professional features without added complexity

Financial services firms often examine the structures, the rigor of the assessments, and the audit trails for compliance processes. Platforms with structured scorecards and analytics for the entire hiring process fit these needs.

Check ATS Options for Your Industry to get recommendations and implementation guides that include your industry, as well.

How to Successfully Implement an ATS in Australia

Choosing the right platform is only part of the challenge. Successful implementation will be the deciding factor as to whether your ATS solution delivers value or becomes an expensive collection of digital dust.

Realistic Implementation Timeline

Week 1-2: Planning & Setup

  • Finalizing platform selection and contract
  • Assigning an Implementation Project Manager
  • Defining Key Workflows and Hiring Stages
  • Identifying Integration Requirements (job boards, payroll, HRIS)
  • Scheduling Kickoff Meeting with Vendors

Weeks 3-4: Configuration

  • Building job templates and application forms
  • Configuring recruitment pipelines for different roles
  • Setting up user accounts and permissions
  • Customizing email templates for candidate communication
  • Configuring integration with SEEK and other Australian job boards

Weeks 5-6: Data Migration & Testing

  • Migrating active candidates from current systems
  • Archiving data for hiring managers and recruiters
  • Setting up reporting dashboards
  • Conducting user acceptance testing with hiring managers
  • Refining workflows based on received feedback

Week 7-8: Training & Launch

  • Conducting training for recruiters and hiring managers
  • Creating internal documentation, and quick reference guides
  • Soft launching with one department or role type
  • Monitoring usage and providing hands-on support
  • Answering questions and refining workflow

Ongoing: Platform Adoption & Optimization

  • Periodic meetings on platform adoption
  • Collecting user feedback on a monthly basis
  • Refining workflow based on real usage
  • Reviewing analytics once a quarter to optimize processes

For most Australian businesses, achieving basic functionality takes 4-6 weeks, after which 3-6 months are typically required for full optimization and adoption.

Typical Implementation Mistakes

Mistake 1: Lack of stakeholder engagement. Implementing ATS software without input from hiring managers guarantees low adoption. Engage essential stakeholders in early stages of workflow engineering.

Mistake 2: Over-customization. Too much customization results in additional maintenance cost and complicated upgrades. Begin with standard workflows and customize only when it is truly warranted.

Mistake 3: Lack of Training. Assuming managers will "figure it out" will lead to workarounds and no usage. Provide trainings with defined scope and work of the role.

Mistake 4: Lack of change management. Technical implementation is successful when the organization does not. People avoid the "new" in favor of the old. The old ways will always remain. This is the "soft" side of implementation. Lack of training, ineffective communication, and premature celebration of wins.

Mistake 5: Poor data management from the start. Transferring dirty data, inconsistent job titles, and untamed tags lead to data silos. Set standards for data management before

Best Practices for Adoption

By following these established strategies, you can ensure that your ATS will work for you.

Start with early wins: Begin with the role types that will generate the greatest volume. From there, you can showcase your gained efficiency. Success breeds adoption.

Make it worse than the old way: If your ATS creates more work than before methods, it won't be used. Simplify your workflows relentlessly.

Amplify adoption: Publicly praise the managers who are participants in using the system. This will create a snowball effect.

Integrate with current systems: The more your ATS integrates with existing systems (email, calendar, Slack), the less friction there will be for users when adopting the new ATS.

Actively support and monitor: The first 90 days are critical for support and monitoring. Provide the most active support during this time, and be ready to assist when people are having difficulty.

Collect feedback and respond: Regular feedback sessions with users indicate a willingness to respond to feedback and help resolve usability problems vs training issues.

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Questions and Answers

What are some AI-powered applicants tracking systems in Australia?

A. Various Australian applicant tracking systems are Pitch N Hire, Greenhouse, Ceipal, HireVue, and iCIMS. These systems offer automated resume scanning, candidate ranking, and hiring statistics. Compliance with Australian recruitment laws and regulations poses very little risk when utilizing these systems. Australian applicant tracking systems allow employers to easily screen resumes, synthesize applicant data, and initiate automated candidate-employee matching.

Q2. Which companies offer automated interview scheduling tools compliant with Australian laws?

Automated interview scheduling tools from Pitch N Hire, JobAdder, Workable, Breezy HR, and Greenhouse are compliant with the Australia Job Act and the Fair Work Act. These systems are compatible with Google and Outlook calendars for scheduling.

Q3. Where can I customize branded career pages for recruitment in Australia?

A. Australian employers have the option to customize branded career pages using ATS systems such as JobAdder, Workable, Recruitee, Pitch N Hire, and Greenhouse. These systems allow the Australian employers to customize their branded career pages to better reflect their company's culture, values, and to consolidate their job postings on one page.

What are the mandatory subjects of bargaining that apply to the remedy period?

The remedy period is a time period where the parties have to reach an agreement. The mandatory subject of bargaining is the reason for reaching an agreement. During the remedy period you can not do a number of things. You cannot terminate workers. You also cannot dismiss employees. These are the main subjects of the remedy period.

What is the average time taken for an ATS to be fully implemented?

For most Australian businesses, basic implementation takes about 4-6 weeks and includes the initial training, integration, configuration, and setup. However, it typically takes about 3-6 months to achieve full optimization and strong user adoption. In other cases, enterprise implementations with more complicated integrations and several locations may need an additional 3-6 months for the initial deployment. The timeline is mostly influenced by the complexity of the organization, the need for data migration, and the level of commitment to change management.

Can recruitment agencies use the same ATS as corporate teams?

Recruitment agencies need corporate ATS systems that have specific additional features, which most do not have: client relationship management, different workflows for permanent and temporary recruitment, billing and timesheet functions, placement and margin tracking, white-labeling, and workflow functions. Bullhorn and JobAdder are examples of systems that cater specifically to agencies, while Greenhouse and Employment Hero target corporates and are missing essential agency functions. Applying the wrong category results in severe workflow friction.

What ROI is reasonable for Australian companies using an ATS?

Time savings are the biggest reason why ATSs are a good investment. For example, automated resume screening can reduce time spent on reviewing applications by 60-75%, using an ATS with an integrated job board can save 2-3 hours a week, automated communication with candidates gets rid of the need for manual follow-ups, and better teamwork can result in a 30-50% reduction in hiring lag. For a mid-market company like a company that makes 50 hires in a year, an ATS is typically justifiable if it saves 200-400 hours of recruiter time and time is more valuable than money. There is also economic benefit, though hard to calculate, for big improvements on hire quality and turnover, especially for companies at scale.

How to Choose an ATS?

Selecting an ATS is a more involved process than looking at the price tag and checking reviews. A poor choice of an ATS can result in losing hiring quality, a bad candidate experience, noncompliance, and poor internal productivity. The huge selection of portals that claim to be #1 is non-informative. It does not help to make a choice.

Think about these considerations first.

The scale of your company and how many people you hire dictate how large and complex the system needs to be. Waste money on the wrong system that your company will outgrow in a year by selecting a system that is too high a level.

There is great variation in compliance requirements across industries. While healthcare and education deal with credentialing intricacies that retail does not, financial services need background screening integration that tech startups may not focus on.

The existing tech ecosystem also drives integration needs. For instance, companies that use Xero for payroll have different integration needs than companies that use MYOB or Employment Hero.

Your team's technical sophistication also dictates what platforms they will actually use. If your hiring managers don't use a feature-rich platform, it does not provide any value.

Budget realities include not just platform costs but also implementation, job board credits, training, and support costs.

Instead of managing this complex decision by yourself, use tailored expert advice for your specific Australian business needs.

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