Perth, Aug 6: Australian job seekers are spending hours completing interview tasks commissioned by would-be employers, only to see their work later repurposed.
According to the new survey “Interview Tasks 2026” by job site Indeed, two-thirds of employers ask candidates to complete assignments as part of the hiring process.
Raising concerns about unfair recruitment practices, 45% of companies admit to having reused work submitted to them by a job applicant, with 37% of workers believing it has happened to them. More than half of workers (55%) say they’ve been asked to complete interview tasks during recruitment, taking an average of two hours to complete each one.
“Indeed’s findings highlight a growing tension in Australia’s employment market. Employers are seeking deeper insight into candidates’ skills, while job seekers are increasingly questioning what’s being asked of them,” said Kate Furey, Career Insights Specialist at Indeed.
“Interview tasks are an important aspect of the recruitment processes but when they are too onerous, unpaid, or plagiarised, it can negatively impact both the job seeker and employer.”
Job seekers are pushing back. Two-thirds of workers (66%) say they’ve withdrawn from a job application, or decided not to apply at all, because a task was required of them. In turn, nearly three in four employers (73%) admit they’ve lost candidates as a consequence of assigning one.
More than half of workers (55%) believe unpaid tasks are unfair, with over a quarter (27%) describing them as “very unfair.” There is near-universal agreement on compensation for longer tasks, with 93% of workers saying candidates should be paid if a task takes three hours or more. “Indeed’s findings highlight that it’s important for recruiters to be realistic and reasonable with tasks they set, otherwise they risk losing applicants,” Furey said. “Candidates want compensation for interview assignments, especially for ones that take longer to complete.”
Payment practices vary. While 36% of candidates say they’ve been paid in full for an interview task in the past, 28% cite receiving partial payment. Workers in IT, and media and communications (50%) are among those most likely to be fully paid for a work task, while those in personal services (53%), retail (50%) and health and education (43%) are the most likely to not have been paid. Men are much more likely than women to be paid for interview assignments (69% compared to 59%).
Younger workers are the most likely to have been asked to complete recruitment tasks (72% of Gen Z and 64% of Millennials) compared to just 36% of Gen X and 24% of Baby Boomers, suggesting it is becoming the more common experience of those entering or newer to the workforce. Industries including IT, media and communications (78%) and professional services (66%) are among the most likely to require candidates to complete tasks. “Indeed’s survey results show the gender pay gap is also prevalent in the job search, with men 10% more likely than women to get paid for work completed during the interview process,” Furey said.
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