Labour Market Testing requires advertising. But not just any advertising.
The platform, the content, the duration, and the documentation all have to meet specific requirements. An advertisement that would work perfectly well for ordinary recruitment can still fail to satisfy LMT if any of those elements are incorrect.
Advertisements must be placed on platforms that genuinely reach the Australian labour market. Seek and LinkedIn are the most commonly used. The national employment marketplace is another accepted option.
At least one advertisement should be on a platform that is widely used by Australian jobseekers in the relevant field. Internal job boards, informal social media posts, or platforms primarily oriented toward overseas audiences are unlikely to satisfy the requirement on their own.
The requirement is for at least two advertisements across the LMT period. Using the same platform twice is generally not sufficient — the two advertisements should provide genuine separate reach.
The content of the advertisement matters as much as the platform. An LMT advertisement must clearly describe the role and include the salary or salary range being offered.
This last point is where many employers run into problems. Advertisements that omit the salary (which is common in ordinary recruitment) are often found to be deficient for LMT purposes. The salary offered in the advertisement should also be consistent with the salary in the nomination.
The job description in the advertisement must be consistent with the role described in the nomination. Inconsistencies between the two (even minor ones) can trigger questions from the Department.
The advertising must run for at least four weeks. That period should be clearly documented: the exact dates the advertisements were live, the platforms used, and the content of the advertisements.
This documentation becomes part of the sponsorship record and can be requested by the Department at any time. Employers who do not retain this evidence find themselves unable to demonstrate compliance after the fact.
Based on what commonly causes LMT to be challenged: the salary was missing. The advertisement ran for fewer than four weeks. The role description in the advertisement differed from the nomination. There is no clear record of when the advertisements were live. The platforms used did not meet the requirements.
Each of these is straightforward to avoid with preparation. Each creates a delay or a problem if discovered after lodgement.
Can I use a recruitment agency to conduct LMT? Yes. A recruitment agency can manage the advertising process. However, the employer is responsible for ensuring the advertising meets the LMT requirements. It is worth confirming with the agency that the advertisements will satisfy migration requirements specifically.
What if no suitable Australian candidates applied during the LMT period? This is the expected outcome in most sponsorship situations, the LMT demonstrates that no suitable local worker was available. Documentation of who applied and why they were not suitable supports the nomination.
Book a consultation with Seven Corp before your advertisements go live. Getting LMT right from the start is far more efficient than repeating the process because the advertising did not meet the requirements.