"I wasn't actually looking for a new job."

Is a surprisingly common statement that we often hear from candidates. Usually, it's followed by something along the lines of:

"But a recruiter reached out."

"A role popped up on LinkedIn."

"I thought there was no harm in just having a conversation."

For an employer, a resignation can sometimes feel like it came out of nowhere. Someone who, form the outside, seemed happy, engaged and settled suddenly hands in their notice and announces they're heading somewhere else.

For the employee, the story often started much earlier.

It might have been the project they hoped to lead that went to someone else. The career conversation that kept getting pushed back. A role they'd mastered but stopped learning from. Or simply the realisation that when they pictured the next few years of their career, they weren't quite sure what they saw.

None of those moments necessarily sends someone straight to the job boards.

But over time, each of these small incidents can chip away and turn someone who wasn't looking into someone who's at least willing to look around.

And sometimes, that's all it takes.

There's a Big Space Between "Staying" and "Looking"

We tend to think about candidates as though they sit neatly in one of two camps: actively looking for a new job, or happily staying put.

But anyone who works in recruitment will know that there's actually a pretty sizeable group in the middle.

These are the people who aren't spending their evenings submitting applications or planning their resignation. They might genuinely like their job, their manager and the organisation they work for.

They're just... curious.

'What would my experience be worth elsewhere? Am I still being paid competitively? What kinds of roles are out there now? Could I take the next step somewhere else? Is everyone offering the flexibility I have here, or am I onto a good thing?'

Being curious doesn't necessarily mean someone is unhappy or planning to leave. Sometimes a conversation with a recruiter actually confirms they're exactly where they should be.

Other times, it gives them space to articulate something that's been sitting in the back of their mind for a while.

The Australian Job Market Has Changed, But People Are Still Moving

Australia's labour market isn't experiencing the same level of movement we saw a few years ago. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics job mobility data shows the national job mobility rate fell to 7.2% in the year to February 2026, down from 7.7% the year before.

Even so, one million Australians changed employer or business during that period.

For employers, that's an important distinction. A quieter job market doesn't mean people have stopped thinking about what's next. And when a great employee does decide to move, replacing them can be costly. A recent report by the AHRI found Australian employers estimate the average cost of replacing an employee at around $28,500.

Retention still matters. But perhaps the more useful question isn't simply "How do we stop people leaving?"

It's "When do people start becoming open to leaving, and what happens before that point?"

It's Rarely Just About the Money

Salary matters. Of course it does. People still need to pay their mortgages and splurge on their smashed avocado brunches.

But when candidates talk to us about why they've become open to something new, remuneration is rarely the entire story.

We often hear variations of:

"I don't really know what's next for me here."

"I've stopped learning."

"I actually really like my job, but I don't feel like I'm growing anymore."

"No one's ever really asked where I want my career to go."

Often, these aren't stories about terrible workplaces or bad managers. They're about good employees whose potential has started to feel a little stuck.

It's something Australian employers appear to be thinking about too. AHRI's March 2026 Quarterly Australian Work Outlook report found that while hiring activity is easing, organisations remain strongly committed to skills development, particularly across technical, leadership and AI capability. AHRI describes the broader shift as moving from expanding headcount towards developing the skills and capability of existing employees.

And that makes sense.

When someone can see what they're working towards, there's a reason to keep working towards it where they are.

What Do Candidates Tell Recruiters That They Don't Say at Work?

One of the privileges of recruitment is that we get to have incredibly candid career conversations.

Sometimes a candidate will tell us they feel overlooked. Sometimes they've outgrown their role. Sometimes they're frustrated by something their manager may not even realise is an issue.

And sometimes they'll tell us they're perfectly happy.

That's why the lesson for employers isn't to worry about whether your people are speaking to recruiters.

A better question is whether they're having equally honest conversations with you.

When was the last time someone asked them what they want the next two years of their career to look like? Whether they're still learning? What they'd like more exposure to? Which part of their role gives them energy? Or, perhaps more tellingly, what might eventually tempt them to leave?

A recruiter conversation often creates space for someone to think about questions they haven't considered in a while.

There's no reason those conversations can't happen at work too.

Don't Wait for the Exit Interview

By the time you're sitting across from a valued employee asking why they're leaving, chances are they've already spent quite a bit of time thinking about the answer.

That's why retention can't start with a counteroffer.

It happens in the months and years before that conversation, through meaningful career discussions, development opportunities, recognition, feedback and managers who are genuinely curious about what their people want next.

Not every resignation is preventable, nor should it be. People grow, circumstances change and sometimes the right next step genuinely exists somewhere else.

But there is a difference between someone leaving because they've outgrown an opportunity and someone leaving because nobody realised they were looking for one.

At Samuels Donegan, some of the most interesting conversations we have are with candidates who weren't planning to make a move at all.

They simply took the call.

Sometimes that conversation confirms they're exactly where they should be. Other times, it brings something to the surface that's been sitting quietly in the background for months.

For employers, the lesson isn't to worry about who's talking to recruiters.

It's to make sure your people don't have to speak to someone outside the organisation before someone asks them what they want inside it.