10 Year Edition | Work Health, Safety, Environment & Wellbeing Job Market Report

A Decade of HSE History

10 years of the HSE Opportunity Index

To mark ten years of tracking the Australian HSE job market, The Safe Step is releasing this Special Anniversary Edition of the HSE Opportunity Index.

Since October 2015, we've tracked over 236,000 HSE job listings across every state, territory, discipline, and industry sector. What's inside is the most comprehensive longitudinal picture of the health, safety and environment profession ever assembled in Australia.

Inside this report, you'll discover:

• How has the HSE job market changed since 2015?
• Industries that are driving the strongest demand for HSE professionals?
• Where is HSE opportunity growing - and where is it declining?
• How has the role of HSE evolved from operational to strategic?
• What does the next decade hold for HSE professionals?
  

Essential insights for employers and professionals

Whether you're navigating your next career move or building a safety team for the decade ahead, this Anniversary Edition gives you the data to do it with confidence.

The HSE Opportunity Index has tracked unbroken monthly data since October 2015 — 125 consecutive months, more than 236,000 listings, and a complete record of how this profession has grown, been tested, and proven its indispensable value.

Download the full 10 Year Anniversary Edition today

Australia's HSE job market: 10th Anniversary Edition

Ten years ago, there was no authoritative benchmark for the Australian HSE job market. The Safe Step set out to build one — and what emerged is a story not of economic cycles, but of regulation, risk, and the irreducible value of keeping people safe.

As of February 2026, the national HSE Opportunity Index stands at 106.1 — modestly above where the decade began, but having travelled a far more dramatic journey in between. The decade saw the index reach an all-time peak of 198.6 in March 2025, weather the COVID crisis with a fall of just 10% (compared to 52% across the broader HR market), and record its busiest ever year in 2023 with 30,744 listings nationally.

The decade's data tells a clear story of where HSE demand has grown, shifted, and diverged across disciplines, industries, and geographies.

• By discipline: HSE Executive roles lead the decade with 48% growth, reflecting the profession's elevation to strategic leadership — while Environmental Health Advisor roles are the only discipline to decline, down 7%.
• By industry: Utilities (+311%) and the Public Sector (+165%) are the decade's standout performers, driven by escalating regulatory obligations — while Healthcare & Medical (−81%) and Mining (−40%) highlight sector-specific contraction.
• By geography: Western Australia recorded the strongest growth of any state (+117%), driven by LNG and critical minerals investment — while NSW (−34%) and ACT (−38%) are the only jurisdictions to sit significantly below their 2015 levels.

The full report includes the complete 10-year index chart, discipline-by-discipline analysis, industry sector breakdowns, state and territory data, and a year-by-year chronicle of the moments that defined the decade.