Brendan Kavenagh joined 2cloudnine late last year as our Strategic Accounts Director – APAC. With a career spanning 20 years in technology recruitment and professional services, he knows firsthand the pay and bill challenges facing staffing and recruitment. He also sees the opportunity to bring together front, middle and back office processes on a single platform. In his words, it’s a game changer and it’s possible right now.
Ahead of Engage Sydney 2025 – Bullhorn’s premier global recruiting conference – later this week, Brendan shares his perspectives on what’s new and why firms need to evolve.
What’s your take on the state of Australia’s staffing and recruitment sector?
BK: While the sector is evolving and remains highly competitive, the long-term future is bright. There’s no doubt it’s been a tough 12 months. Following the highs of covid, economic uncertainty has seen fewer vacancies. There are also the added complexities of AI, new technologies and changing workforce dynamics.
Despite the challenges, the sector is poised for significant growth in the years ahead. By 2034, the Australian recruitment market is predicted to be worth $61.92 billion. There’s a lot to look forward to and I think it’s a great industry to be in.
What’s standing out to you as the key trends in staffing and recruitment?
BK: There’s an increased focus on skills-based hiring and regulatory compliance, but the big one is the continued adoption of AI, automation and new technologies. More and more understand that to remain competitive, they need to automate how they do things.
Firms are increasingly integrating AI-powered solutions for candidate matching, resume screening and process automation. However, the focus has been on improving the front office and the candidate experience without fully considering the implications this has on the middle and back office.
How can tech improve the middle and back office?
BK: Firms have an opportunity to truly transform the way they run their business by adopting technology that fully integrates front, middle and back office processes in a single system. It’s a transformation I strongly believe all firms need to make to support long-term, sustainable growth and profitability.
Why is a seamless connection between the front, middle and back office so important?
BK: I’ve seen the cost and productivity challenges firms can experience because of poor payroll and finance systems and processes. For most firms, the middle and back office is quite fragmented. It’s typically stitched together with manual processes and lots of different applications that don’t talk to each other or are poorly integrated.
This presents all sorts of pay and billing challenges – from costly inefficiencies and availability of accurate, real-time data to pay errors and compliance risks. In fact, according to research from the Australian Payroll Association, firms spend an average of 11.9 hours per week on manual payroll tasks.
Connecting these processes on a single platform is a game changer. It streamlines operations, reduces errors and provides firms access to live analytics so they can make faster, more informed decisions.
What role can 2cloudnine play in addressing these challenges and improving the recruitment lifecycle?
BK: 2cloudnine is at the forefront of solving these challenges and helping firms to future-proof their business. Our pay and bill platform consolidates people, payroll and billing processes on one platform – creating a single source of truth for employee and customer data. By removing the need for different applications, we reduce complexity, automate compliance and provide the insights firms need.
But what I think is most significant is the impact this has on organisational culture. A single source of truth enables consistent communication across departments and with clients and candidates; improves collaboration and productivity; and drives better staff engagement. It’s so much more than a pay and bill solution; it delivers a better outcome for everyone.
What’s your advice for firms seeking to improve their middle and back office?
BK: While AI and technology present enormous opportunities, firms struggle to adopt large-scale tech because it can be daunting, it’s costly and there might not be experience in house. That’s why it’s so important you are fully informed and carefully consider how new technologies will improve your business in the long run.
Constantly integrating new apps is a double-edged sword; it might deliver short-term gain, but it means long-term pain. Truly leveraging AI and automation across the whole firm requires a single platform solution. Leading firms in Australia and around the world are recognising this and are getting on the front foot. So, my advice is to research, review and act so that your entire business achieves its true potential.
Discover more
If you’d like to find out more about 2cloudnine’s solutions, you can catch Brendan and the team at Engage or book a discovery call.