Extended question of the week this week

News for 18 August 2026 includes a big fine for Hudson, a big consulting firm moves into search with a former Davidson leader, Robert Walters results, AI disrupts Federal government recruitment, and which sleepy city is on top of LinkedIn's Cities on the Rise rankings? Question of the Week is, "Does being tall pay more? in which Adele and Ross discuss the research about "the beauty premium".

Episode 173 has news for 11 August 2026, including RCSA past-president Sinead Hourigan exiting Robert Walters after two decades, the global staffing market growing for the first time since 2022, TalentVine's acquisition reopens the debate on why job-marketplace platforms keep failing, and NZ's unemployment hitting a decade-high ahead of November's election. Plus — a Queensland court just gutted a non-compete clause, the ATO was forced to scrap an entire recruitment round after AI screened candidates without required human sign-off, Robert Walters' half-year results show revenue up but margins down, KordaMentha lands a new exec search partner amid an ICAC corruption inquiry, one Silicon Valley startup's "get inked, get hired" afterparty backfires spectacularly, and LinkedIn's first-ever Cities on the Rise list crowns an unexpected Australian winner. Question of the Week is "How do you avoid a Fair Work investigation into your on-hire workforce?"*

RNA episode 172 has news for 4 August 2026 covering job mobility dropping to a near-record low as Australians sit tight in their roles, major NSW Industrial Court ruling that leaves labour hire firms rethinking how they view the transition of workers. SustainRecruit alumni launching a new boutique agency, Liminal Recruitment, alongside a deep dive into fresh ATO income data revealing which jobs have booming earnings and which are on the slide. Question of the Week is, "What is job hugging?"

RNA episode 171 has news for 28 July 2026, including the labour market update for June, PageGroup reverts to Michael Page, Randstad's global profits climb, Queensland rolls out big apprentice incentives, a Harvard study exposes a wild hiring bias toward fast repliers, SEEK ad volumes keep sliding as job competition hits a record. Question of the Week is "Who is HiTech and why did they buy Hudson?"

Job market holds steady, PageGroup goes back to being Michael Page, Randstadt's global profits climb, Queensland rolls out big apprentice incentives, a Harvard study exposes a wild hiring bias toward fast repliers, Seek ad volumes keep sliding as competition hits a record for job applications.

Episode 170 includes news for 21 July 2026, including the Victorian Labour Hire Authority's scathing assessment of former Hudson directors Mark Steyn and Kendall Ryan, why the ATO killed the original rescue plan, and what HiTech's bid could mean for Hudson's future. We also discuss a groundbreaking Harvard study revealing how weight-loss drugs are changing employment outcomes for women, analyse the latest financial results from PageGroup, Robert Walters and ManpowerGroup, and look at Victoria Police's innovative strategy of rehiring retired officers to tackle critical workforce shortages. Question of the week is "What characterises the most AI-proof jobs in the world?"

RNA episode 169 has news for 14 July 2026, including the dramatic collapse of Hudson’s original rescue plan as ATO legal action and the Victorian Labour Hire Authority force a complete rethink, with HiTech now emerging as the preferred bidder. We pay tribute to recruitment pioneer Bill Pollock, the visionary founder of Drake International, examine the final days of the ICAC hearings into recruitment corruption at the University of Wollongong, discuss the remarkable global career of former Randstad Enterprise CEO Michael Smith, and analyse Hays’ latest results as Australia's recruitment market continues to face a challenging and uneven recovery.