The peak body for the recruitment, staffing and labour hire sectors, RCSA, welcomes the South Australian Government’s announcement that they will amend the state’s Labour Hire Licensing Act to target the sectors where there is evidence of worker exploitation. RCSA CEO Charles Cameron said the move to target the licensing scheme would improve its ability to address isolated exploitation issues, while allowing agencies who service industries where there is no evidence of exploitation to get on with the job of placing South Australians in work and supporting local business growth. Mr Cameron (pictured left) said the proposed changes were great news for agency workers and the businesses they sup

Last week marked the 30th anniversary of the closure of BHP in Newcastle, which got us thinking about our beautiful hometown and how it has changed over the past three decades. Newcastle, in NSW, is the largest regional economy in Australia, ranking above Tasmania, NT and the ACT in economic output. The NSW Department of Planning says the area has an estimated 322,000 jobs which is projected to increase to 384,000 by 2036. The economy is increasingly diversified, with a record level of construction taking place in the CBD, the addition of light rail and the ongoing growth of Newcastle Airport, and continual development by the University of Newcastle. The city is a force to be reckoned with,

RCSA will host a series of Pop Up Events across Australia and New Zealand through November and December to celebrate yet another fantastic year for our sector, our industry body and those involved with both. Each event will be held from 5.30pm to 7pm and has been organised at a central location for ease of access. We are strongly encouraging our Members to bring along clients and colleagues to help keep them informed and educated about the work being done by our sector. The events will be held at: Brisbane, Alchemy Restaurant , 175 Eagle St, Tuesday 19 November, sponsored by Indeed Melbourne, Pamlz Rooftop at The Carlton Club, 193 Bourke St, Wednesday 20 November, sponsored by Indeed Sydney,

On Wednesday 4 September TexhXpo Pitchfest made its way to Auckland, New Zealand. Close on the heels of the Australian event held in June, TechXpo NZ offered members access to the latest tech products and innovations which ensure companies are ahead of their competition and driving greater productivity within their organisation. Attendees were treated to an overview of new technology and how it works, met the tech companies who are changing the way we work and learnt the key skills they need to ride the digital wave through keynote presentation, roundtable discussions and live demos. In a TechXpo highlight, four start-up companies with new solutions for the recruitment space pitched concept

The impressive line-up of speakers for this year’s World Employment Conference, hosted by RCSA with the World Employment Confederation, on the Gold Coast between October 30 and November 1, will include a number of thought leaders and luminaries sharing their messages. The keynote speaker for this year’s conference will be the former Executive Director and CTO with Lonely Planet, Gus Balbontin, who will deliver a presentation on the need to Adapt looking at Leadership Through Business Transformation. Gus now operates his own design and innovation business Roshambo (the term use for paper, scissors, rock in the US) and is making a name for himself as a speaker on the urgent need for us to go a

Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has launched its Horticulture Showcase, an online platform designed to ensure those working in agricultural labour hire understand their rights and obligations whether they be employers, host employers or workers. The Horticulture Showcase provides comprehensive information about a range of topics affecting those working in the agricultural supply chain including pay and piecework rates, workplace health & safety, legislation around employing migrant workers and fair working hours and conditions. The site includes the latest information from the FWO on workplace law, changes and obligations and has been designed to ensure the rights of everyone in the su

Talent International has again been named in the Top 500 Private Companies, a list compiled by the Australian Financial Review and IBISWorld, this year leaping to 87th position on the list from its 2018 position of 96. The climb up the list reflects a record financial year for the company which reported group turnover of $640 million in FY19, accounting for 16 per cent year-on-year growth. “It’s very positive to see this strong financial growth and the recognition of Talent in and outside of the recruitment industry,” Founder and Chairman Richard Earl said. “As a company that started in a home office in Perth 24 years ago, we are proud to have taken our unique brand of recruitment to both

EXCITING NEW TECH COMING TO OUR SECTOR It has never been more important for our sector to keep abreast of new technology offerings. At RCSA’s first TechXpo, held in Sydney on June 20, four start-ups offering new solutions for the recruitment space, pitched concepts for newtech, showing what may be coming to the market soon. Referoo, resume4Mat, smartAI and iclue had five minutes each to pitch and take part in a quick interview with David Macciocca from VideoMyJob. Audience members then voted for their favourite. And the winner, who will attend the RCSA conference in October, was...smartAI. smartAI by Raj Soni, Founder, CTO Q. When was the platform created and launched? We first went live wi

Hint: it starts with upskilling today’s leaders for tomorrow’s workplace The World Economic Forum forecasts that the skills people will require for the fourth industrial revolution; a workplace which will feature AI, robotics and machine-learning, will include complex problem-solving, critical- thinking and creativity. You might think those skills are available in abundance; however that is simply not the case. As a seasoned consultant working predominantly with executive leaders to identify, define, drive and embed change within their organisations; the human skills required for the future are sadly lacking. While a significant spend is allocated on readiness for the future; I believe the s

The only certainty in the future world of work is that things will never be the same again, thanks to continued technological advancements. But, warns the keynote speaker at this year’s RCSA conference, former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the state of global politics will also play a significant part in the way we do business. As we strive to come to terms with rapidly evolving technology and what it means for the workplace, former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard cautions that geopolitical changes could have a significant impact on Australia’s employment sector. Gillard will be a keynote speaker at this year’s RCSA conference to be jointly hosted with the World Employment

We may be known as the lucky country, but many in Australia who are battling the loss of employment due to technological advancement no longer feel that way. But Australians can still be lucky, we just have to work harder to make our own luck. The erosion of trust starts with poor human behaviour, but it’s amplified by misuse and misunderstanding of technology. Australia is suffering a trust deficit thanks to failures, across the board, of its institutions. One by one, we’ve seen the shine chipped off governments, businesses, the media, trade unions, churches, schools, universities and hospitals. Even sport, our beloved national retreat from reality, has lost its allure. Parts of the life we

Take the adventurous approach to team building and leadership. Ben Southall is a professional adventurer who believes off-the-beaten-track experiences provide the perfect opportunity for business leaders to build and discover strength, fortitude and resilience so they can better run their business and be happier people. Best known to many as the winner of the 2009 Best Job in the World competition as Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef, Southall (pictured left) has created a business taking entrepreneurs and leaders on personal growth and team-building exercises that are about as far from ordinary as imaginable. “There’s something innately primeval about getting off the beaten