What Two Hard Years Taught Me About Industrial Recruitment in Melbourne

The Melbourne recruitment market is improving, and at TRS we’re hiring across more desks than we’ve had going in a long time. But I’m not going to pretend it’s been a straight line. Industrial recruitment in Melbourne put TRS through a very tough 18 months to two years before this one, and I made a few calls that didn’t land. I wanted to write this one honestly, because the growth we’re in now means more when you know what came before it. Here’s where we are, what changed, and what we’re hiring for.

Is the Melbourne recruitment market improving?

Yes. I’m seeing real signs that things are getting back to a normal building stage. The clearest signal is forward demand: a lot of our clients are already giving us orders for next year, which is one of the best indicators you get of the year ahead. When businesses commit to hiring twelve months out, they’ve done their own planning and they’re confident enough to act on it.

It’s easy to bash Melbourne right now, and plenty of people do. But underneath the noise, the work is there. We’ve got our cost structure under control, we’ve got the right staff in the right seats, and we’re back in a deep growth stage. That’s a very different position to the one I was sitting in at the start of the year, when I had half of January off and honestly didn’t know what the year would bring.

What is TRS hiring for across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland?

The busiest desk in the business right now is diesel mechanics. Trent’s coming up on twelve months with us, and his diesel mechanic recruitment desk has exploded over the last six to nine months. He took to recruitment the way a lot of people who join me do, and he’s built that desk into one of our strongest. We’re still placing diesel mechanics and we’re not slowing that down.

Anthea is back with us too, in a new part time hybrid role across client relationships and recruitment. She’s enjoying it, and having her managing those relationships while she recruits has been good for our clients and good for us.

Beyond that, we’re recruiting technical blue collar roles across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, and diesel mechanics in Western Australia. If you’re a business in trades and services, manufacturing, logistics or automotive and you’re planning your hiring, now’s the time to talk. We’re also looking for trainees ourselves shortly, which tells you where we think this is heading.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Melbourne recruitment market improving in 2026?

The signs point to a recovery. At TRS we’re seeing clients place hiring orders for next year, which is a strong forward-demand signal, and we’re back in a growth stage after a difficult two years. Demand for technical and blue collar staff across Victoria is picking up.

What roles is TRS Resourcing recruiting for right now?

Our busiest desk is diesel mechanic recruitment. We’re also placing technical blue collar roles across trades and services, manufacturing, logistics and automotive in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, and we’re hiring trainees into TRS shortly.

Does TRS Resourcing recruit diesel mechanics in Western Australia?

Yes. Alongside our technical blue collar recruitment in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, we run a dedicated diesel mechanic recruitment desk covering Western Australia. If you’re a workshop or fleet operator in WA looking for qualified diesel mechanics, get in touch.

How long has TRS Resourcing been operating?

TRS founder Tavis Shearer has 26 to 27 years in recruitment and has run TRS Resourcing with offices in Melbourne and Sydney and servicing as far out as Queensland and Western Australia. The business specialises in industrial, trades and technical blue collar recruitment across the eastern states and diesel mechanics in WA.

Looking for staff or looking for work?

If your business is planning its hiring and you want a recruiter who’ll shoot straight with you, we’d welcome the conversation. And if you’re looking for work yourself, technical blue collar in Victoria, New South Wales or Queensland, or diesel mechanic work in WA, please get in touch. Reach out to the TRS team directly and we’ll sort it out.