Skills by role family · Q3 2026
Most requested skills for operations jobs in Australia
Measured from 14,079 tracked Australian job ads in this family.
Most requested skills
- 01Customer service4,117 ads, 29%
- 02Stakeholder management3,146 ads, 22%
- 03Team leadership2,458 ads, 17%
- 04Risk management1,972 ads, 14%
- 05Continuous improvement1,872 ads, 13%
- 06Inventory management1,832 ads, 13%
- 07Retail operations1,635 ads, 12%
- 08Stakeholder engagement1,595 ads, 11%
- 09Project management1,498 ads, 11%
- 10Microsoft Office1,486 ads, 11%
- 11Process improvement1,377 ads, 9.8%
- 12Data analysis1,327 ads, 9.4%
- 13Budget management1,260 ads, 8.9%
- 14Microsoft Excel1,225 ads, 8.7%
- 15Change management1,180 ads, 8.4%
- 16Procurement1,150 ads, 8.2%
- 17Workplace safety937 ads, 6.7%
- 18Performance management932 ads, 6.6%
- 19Contract management878 ads, 6.2%
- 20Communication861 ads, 6.1%
- 21Problem solving842 ads, 6.0%
- 22Visual merchandising830 ads, 5.9%
- 23Records management822 ads, 5.8%
- 24Coaching766 ads, 5.4%
- 25Regulatory compliance764 ads, 5.4%
| Skill | Ads | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Customer service | 4,117 | 29% |
| Stakeholder management | 3,146 | 22% |
| Team leadership | 2,458 | 17% |
| Risk management | 1,972 | 14% |
| Continuous improvement | 1,872 | 13% |
| Inventory management | 1,832 | 13% |
| Retail operations | 1,635 | 12% |
| Stakeholder engagement | 1,595 | 11% |
| Project management | 1,498 | 11% |
| Microsoft Office | 1,486 | 11% |
| Process improvement | 1,377 | 9.8% |
| Data analysis | 1,327 | 9.4% |
| Budget management | 1,260 | 8.9% |
| Microsoft Excel | 1,225 | 8.7% |
| Change management | 1,180 | 8.4% |
| Procurement | 1,150 | 8.2% |
| Workplace safety | 937 | 6.7% |
| Performance management | 932 | 6.6% |
| Contract management | 878 | 6.2% |
| Communication | 861 | 6.1% |
| Problem solving | 842 | 6.0% |
| Visual merchandising | 830 | 5.9% |
| Records management | 822 | 5.8% |
| Coaching | 766 | 5.4% |
| Regulatory compliance | 764 | 5.4% |
Experience asked for
Stated in 22% of this family’s ads · n = 3,141 stated values · Q3 2026
Work rights in these ads
n = 14,079 ads. Cells below the publication threshold are omitted.
| Requirement | Ads | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Citizenship required | 341 | 2.4% |
| Permanent residency required | 126 | 0.9% |
| Security clearance required | 388 | 2.8% |
| Sponsorship offered | Not published | — |
| Sponsorship possible | Not published | — |
Read the Australian job application glossary for the terms.
Work arrangement
| Arrangement | Ads | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Onsite | 2,064 | 15% |
| Hybrid | 1,680 | 12% |
| Remote | 647 | 4.6% |
| Flexible | 487 | 3.5% |
| Not stated | 9,201 | 65% |
How to use this on your resume
Open a role example to see these ideas in Offer Underway’s Modern resume template. Its mint highlights show matching terms from that role’s job-ad data. In your own application, use the actual employer’s ad and evidence from your experience.
- Mirror the exact skill names you can support with evidence.
- Put the top skills you can demonstrate in your Skills section and in experience bullets.
- Do not list skills you cannot evidence.
- Check a specific ad with the Australian job ad checker.
The ATS resume keywords guide shows how to choose wording without claiming experience you do not have.
Method and limitations
How this data is collected. OfferUnderway tracks job ads from Australian employer career sites and job boards. Each ad is counted once, even if it appears on several sites. Fields such as role family, skills, work arrangement and work-rights requirements are extracted from the ad text by an AI model and checked against the ad; some extraction errors are possible.
What it covers. Ads with an Australian location that were live at any point between 1 July 2026 and 30 September 2026. It is not every job ad in Australia: coverage depends on the sources OfferUnderway tracks, and some industries are better covered than others.
Thresholds. A breakdown is shown only when it is based on at least 30 ads; a skill is listed only when it appears in at least 15 ads and 3% of the relevant group.
Snapshot. Generated 17 October 2026. Figures are not revised after publication; corrections are noted on this page.
Questions about these skills
Which skills appear most often in operations job ads?
Across 14,079 Australian operations job ads tracked by OfferUnderway in Q3 2026, the most requested skills were Customer service (29%), Stakeholder management (22%), Team leadership (17%), Risk management (14%), Continuous improvement (13%). These figures describe the tracked catalogue, not every job ad in Australia.
Are these skills mandatory for every role?
Frequency is not proof that a skill is mandatory for a particular job. Read the employer’s ad and distinguish requirements from preferences. Only include skills you can support with your own experience.
How many ads is this based on?
This family includes 14,079 active Australian job ads tracked by OfferUnderway in Q3 2026. Families need at least 200 ads; small cells and infrequent skills are suppressed.
Build a resume for a real operations job
Use the frequency list as a starting point, then tailor your resume to the employer’s actual requirements and your own experience.