The Lone Recruiter

The Australian jobs market is slow, tougher and uncertain right now. But what does that actually mean for us as recruiters?
I’m joined by SEEK Chief Economist Blair Chapman to cut through the headlines and look at what the data is really telling us about the Australian employment market.
Employment is still growing, but at a much slower rate than we’ve become accustomed to. Job switching is at historic lows, candidates are more hesitant to move, businesses are watching costs and some sectors are facing a much tougher outlook than others.
But it’s certainly not all doom and gloom. There are still pockets of strong demand, and some major demographic shifts could create significant opportunities for recruiters over the next five years.
We cover:
👉 Why employment growth has slowed and what that means for recruiters👉 The industries currently doing it toughest👉 Where Blair is seeing stronger demand and growth opportunities👉 What’s happening with advertised salaries👉 Why job switching could be one of the most important numbers for recruiters to watch👉 How AI and offshoring are affecting the employment market👉 What needs to happen before the market really turns a corner👉 Why Australia’s ageing workforce could create a huge replacement market👉 The labour market indicators I’d be watching if I were running a recruitment agency
There’s a lot of noise around the jobs market right now. Blair brings the numbers, but more importantly, helps translate those numbers into what they could actually mean for your recruitment desk.

Have you ever felt like you KNOW how to do something, but it still takes a huge amount of effort to get it right?
That’s where the four stages of mastery come in.
In this episode, I break down the journey from having absolutely no idea what you’re doing to reaching the point where a skill becomes almost automatic.
For recruiters, this can apply to everything from interviewing and taking a job brief to BD, closing deals, leadership and eventually running your own agency.
👉 The four stages of mastery👉 Why being aware of your incompetence is actually progress👉 The frustrating stage where you’re good, but it still takes serious brainpower👉 What true mastery looks like👉 How I’ve reached “autopilot” in recruitment after 20 years👉 Why I’m definitely NOT there yet when it comes to leadership
Knowing where you sit on the mastery scale can make the learning process a whole lot less frustrating and give you something tangible to work towards.

The recruitment market is changing, but where are the real opportunities right now?
Today I’m joined by Andrea Collins from Connecting Recruiters, she has spent more than 20 years in recruitment and the last decade specialising in Rec2Rec. She recruits across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, giving her a pretty unique view of what’s happening inside agencies across the country.
We talk about what senior recruiters are looking for now, why some agencies are attracting great people while others are losing them, and what the recruitment market could look like by the time the next Census rolls around.
👉 Why senior recruiters are looking for a career “rebirth”👉 The growing divide between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane👉 Why executive search is booming👉 What recruiters now expect from AI, automation and productivity tools👉 The surprising link between external PR and attracting great recruiters👉 Why relationships are becoming even MORE valuable in an AI-driven market👉 The graduate recruiter shortage and what it means for agency growth👉 The commission structures keeping top billers from going out on their own👉 Why big agencies are losing talent to boutiques👉 Andrea’s prediction for recruitment in 2031
There are some really interesting shifts happening beneath the surface of our industry right now, and Andrea has a front-row seat to them.
If you’re a recruiter, recruitment leader or agency owner wondering where the market is heading next, this one is well worth a listen.

The 2026 Census has added 349 new occupations. So naturally, my recruiter brain went straight to one question: Where's the opportunity? If you're looking for a new recruitment market, the Census could give you some very interesting clues. Tune in for: 👉 Why 349 new occupations creates potential new recruitment markets 👉 What changing industries and technology mean for recruiters 👉 How to spot genuine demand rather than simply chasing job volume 👉 Why national skills shortages can point towards strong recruitment opportunities 👉 How to find markets where recruiter competition is relatively low 👉 Why the best market isn't necessarily the biggest one 👉 How to use publicly available data to research your next desk If you're looking for a new market, feeling stuck in your current desk or trying to find an area where you can build a competitive advantage, this episode is for you. Don't just find a market with jobs. Find a market with opportunity.

This simple recruitment tactic can significantly shorten the time between getting a client interview request and actually getting the interview booked.
The key idea is simple: don’t ask “when?”
Instead, know your candidate’s availability and give the client a specific option, ideally today or tomorrow. Rather than asking, “When can you meet them?”, try, “I’ve got them available at 3pm today. Can you make that work?”
This small change creates urgency, keeps momentum, and stops interviews from being pushed into the end of the week or even the following week.
I also explain why recruiters need to take control of the scheduling process and why asking an innocent question like “when are you free?” can unintentionally slow the entire deal down.
No when. Try it on your next interview and see how much faster you can get things moving.