Founder’s Note

Dear FLI Community,

As we move into the second half of 2025, the recruitment landscape in fitness, wellness, and hospitality continues to scale dramatically. The talent gap is more visible than ever, quality candidates are harder to find, and businesses are being challenged to rethink their hiring strategies, employer branding, and long-term talent pipelines.

In this edition, we tackle the question everyone’s asking: “Where have all the great candidates gone?” We’ll explore how to navigate this talent drought, shine the spotlight on an employer of choice, and dive into the latest ATS technology shaping smarter hiring.

Let’s get into it.

Feature Article: The Talent Gap – Where Have All the Great Candidates Gone?

We all know the post-Covid workforce has shifted priorities. Candidates want more than a pay-check; they’re seeking flexibility, purpose, great mentors, and killer culture. In sectors like boutique fitness, wellness, and luxury hospitality, groups are scaling at pace, the new bar for talent and service is higher than ever, and the supply is struggling to keep up.

Key insights driving the talent gap:

• A generation of ‘multi-career’ professionals – Many skilled trainers and coaches are moving online, or blending roles looking for hybrid positions in an aim to grow while doing what they love.
• Employer value perception – Candidates are much more selective about the brands they align with, focusing on growth, flexibility, stability, and leadership culture.
• Competitive hiring markets – Hospitality, retail, and fitness are all fishing in the same talent pools, making differentiation crucial.

What can employers do?

• Rework EVP (Employer Value Proposition) and clearly define career pathways. Why would a candidate choose you over anther brand with a similar offering? Think outside of the box - you need to cut through and stand out.
• Streamline hiring processes, speed and consistency matters.
• Invest in talent pooling and proactive headhunting (not just reactive job ads).

Struggling to attract the right people? Start by defining why top talent should choose you over the competition.

Employer Spotlight: A Brand Excelling at Culture & Career Growth

Jetts Fitness – Australia’s Culture Champion

Why we’re shining the spotlight on Jetts Fitness:

As a leading home-grown fitness franchise operating over 270 gyms across 6 countries, Jetts Australia combines scale with strong culture initiatives to create a standout workplace.

Award-Winning Culture

In 2023, Jetts climbed from 7th place to 2nd on WRK+’s “Best Places to Work in Australia”, scoring over 90% across work relationship (90%), team (94%), and organisation (92%), with an eNPS of 94% (businessfranchiseaustralia.com.au).

Culture by Design

CEO Elaine Jobson credits strict attention to team experience, from transparent leadership, recognition programs like free birthdays and club awards, to continuous training via the Jetts Training Academy, all reinforcing a values-driven workplace (businessfranchiseaustralia.com.au).

Career Development Engine

Jetts invests in clear career pathways for every team member. Through local development programs and structured learning, staff are supported at every stage, be it club manager, team leader, or PT-focused tracks. This investment in people is central to retaining top talent and fueling internal mobility.

Culture That Scales

From high franchisee engagement to consistent store-level practices, Jetts nurtures a unified culture across locations. Their approach ensures that every gym, whether in Adelaide or Auckland, delivers consistent team experience and brand values.

Jetts ticks multiple boxes for employer of choice by combining employee engagement, a clear career roadmap, top-tier recognition, and culture-led retention.

ATS Systems and Software – What’s Worth Investing In?

The right ATS (Applicant Tracking System) can transform your recruitment process, reducing time-to-hire and improving candidate experience. For fitness businesses of all sizes, BambooHR, and TeamTailor are just some of the leading solutions that offer customisable workflows, integrated communication tools, and advanced reporting features.

Executive snapshot (who’s best for whom)

Quick picks

• You run multi-site gyms, care about brand, automation, talent pools, and candidate experience: Teamtailor.
• Enterprise / 20+ sites, central TA team, complex workflows, lots of hiring managers: SmartRecruiters (enterprise power) or Lever (ATS + CRM strength).
• You already live inside Employment Hero for HR/Payroll and hiring volumes are moderate: Employment Hero ATS is “good enough”; if you need better attraction & nurturing, pair Teamtailor with EH for onboarding/payroll.
• Agency-style internal recruitment, lots of requisitions across many brands/clients: JobAdder (AU-native, recruiter-centric).
• Budget-conscious, simple needs, <100 hires/year, want quick setup: BreezyHR.
• You want an HRIS-first platform with a lightweight ATS: BambooHR (small–mid orgs) or ELMO (AU enterprise HR suite; ATS is serviceable but not marketing-strong).

We’ll be sharing our top 5 ATS recommendations for 2025 in our next edition.

Let’s Connect

Are you struggling with talent attraction or retention? At FLI, we help fitness, wellness, and hospitality businesses become employers of choice through recruitment strategies, talent mapping, and employer brand design.

Connect with me on LinkedIn to start a discussion how we can build your dream team.