According to a new report from Indeed Hiring Lab, Australia’s workplace dress codes are steadily relaxing – even in the most traditionally conservative industries.
The surprise leader? Insurance.
The report found that 11.6% of insurance job ads now mention “casual dress,” up from just 4.1% in 2022. That’s eight percentage points higher than other industries, signalling a cultural shift in a sector once considered buttoned-up.
And it’s not just insurance. Legal, accounting, and finance — all sectors known for sharp suits and strict dress rules — are also easing up. Job postings mentioning casual or smart-casual standards rose to:
- Legal: 3.6%
- Accounting: 2.9%
- Banking & Finance: 1.8%
As the report put it: “Casual dress appears more common in what might be considered traditionally conservative or stuffy jobs.”
Why the shift?
A few factors are at play:
- The pandemic effect: Remote work normalised “dress for your day.” Once people stopped wearing suits at home, many never went back.
- Generational influence: Millennials and Gen Z, now moving into management, bring different expectations — and value comfort and authenticity.
- Cultural momentum: Australians are leaning to casual. A survey by people2people (2023) found that 57% of workers have adopted a more relaxed wardrobe, with 66.5% stating they ditched suits years ago.
In reality, 6 in 10 employees now wear jeans or shorts regularly to work, often pairing them with sneakers instead of formal shoes.
For executive assistants, this shift has two key implications:
- Managing expectations: You may need to gently guide visiting clients, colleagues, or even your executive on “what’s appropriate” for a given meeting or event, especially if standards are no longer clear-cut.
- Wardrobe flexibility: With dress codes loosening, you have more freedom to match your look to your day – whether it’s boardroom meetings, working from home, or a more casual office environment.
The bottom line? Dress codes are evolving, and in many cases, comfort is becoming just as important as professionalism. But as every EA knows, the golden rule still applies: when in doubt, dress a step above the room.
