Opposition ramps up pressure on ADF recruitment as Adecco defence recruitment MD departs
Adecco Australia’s managing director of defence force recruiting, Gene Crowe, quietly departed last month after 21 months in the role as The Australian,, reported ($ link) earlier in the week that the performance period of Adecco’s ADF recruitment contract had been extended by six months.
In July 2022, Adecco was announced as the winner of the 10-year, $1 billion Defence Force Recruiting RPO, ahead of incumbent Manpower, and other tenderers Accenture and Toll, although Adecco knew of their win five months earlier.
Adecco’s transition period commenced in late 2022, with the formal commencement on 1 July 2023.
In February 2024 Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh indicated some teething problems with the new contract, commenting on radio 2GB,
“We inherited a situation…..(where) it was taking 300 days for us to actually get them enlisted….we’re now targeting bringing that down to 100 days or even shorter if we can, we have a new recruitment partner to do that, Adecco they’ve only just come on board. Certainly, we’ve had a few teething issues with them (Adecco) coming on board… and we’re working very closely with them to get through those issues.”
On 18 November last year shadow minister for defence, Andrew Hastie, a former troop commander in the Special Air Service Regiment, noted in the House of Representatives, “It’s (ADF recruitment) in a really bad state. In fact, reports I hear are that it is in a diabolical state.”
The Australian reported ($ link), “Adecco was meant to hire 10,512 recruits for the ADF and be able to take a prospective recruit from application to enlistment in 100 days. But Senate estimates revealed Adecco believed it could deliver only 7,461 recruits, and was expected to process recruits in 150 days instead of 100. This is 71% of its target.
Adecco is expected to provide a recruiting system, to a specified schedule, that delivers 100% of targets in 100 days,” the department said in response to a question on notice from Senate estimates. However, the actual expectation by December 2024 was that this would be done in 150 days, the department said.
“The key challenge includes shortfalls in psychologists and medical professionals to assess candidates,” its response stated.”
In an interview yesterday on radio 2GB, Hastie said, “It’s (the report that almost 90 per cent of applications to serve with the Australian Defence Force were withdrawn last year, and the average processing time has blown out to more than eight months a shambolic disgrace), Mark. Young Australians want to join the Defence Force, they want to serve our country, they want to wear the uniform, and they are facing all sorts of administrative hurdles. There’s a culture of risk aversion within recruitment itself. It’s being run by civilians, and I think that in itself is problematic.”
On the same day, this time on ABC Radio National breakfast, Hastie said, in response to a question about how to increase ADF personnel, “..(have) our best enlisted taking charge of recruitment. We’ve given it to civilian contractors for too long. They’re not hitting their targets, they’re doing woefully in fact…”.
In response to the opposition’s attacks, Defence Minister Richard Marles said, “The Albanese government has begun to turn the crisis around, with a suite of measures to address recruitment and retention, including a Workforce Plan released last year. We recognise the value of our defence workforce. We are investing in our workforce. And we are ensuring that Defence has the resources, people and capabilities to keep Australians safe.”
Crowe was appointed to the role by former Adecco ANZ CEO Nicholas Lee. Crowe came to the role with no prior experience in military recruitment. Lee departed Adecco in March 2024 and was replaced by former RGF Staffing APEJ’s CEO, Peter Acheson, whose tenure started just under five months ago.
Adecco has made no public comment about Crowe’s departure or his successor. Simon Ottaviano is the incumbent defence force recruiting deputy managing director at Adecco Australia.
Despite Hastie’s comments about bringing ADF recruitment back inhouse, such a move is not current Liberal Party policy.
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