Ep 332 - What Top Recruiters Want From Agencies in 2026 with Andrea Collins

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.