Public Sector People

What Public Sector People does

Public Sector People (PSP) is an Australian specialist recruitment agency that exclusively serves government, public sector, and not-for-profit organizations. Established in 2004 as a dedicated brand within the privately held Search4 group (alongside sibling brands Design & Build Recruitment and Tech & Data People), PSP employs over 100 people across offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth. The firm operates a single-desk consultant model — each of its 30+ specialist recruiters owns one vertical end-to-end — serving local councils, state and federal government departments, and not-for-profit organizations across five discipline practices (Business Support, Construction & Engineering, IT & Communications, Planning & Environment, and Professional).

The company generates revenue through three core streams: permanent placement fees (including Executive Search, Leadership Search, and contingency placements), temporary/contract staffing with weekly payroll processing, and a dedicated For Purpose/NFP division. Distribution is anchored by approved preferred-supplier status on government procurement panels — notably Local Buy (Queensland) and Local Government Procurement (LGPro) — enabling direct engagement with member councils without individual tender processes. Operational technology includes a proprietary coded candidate database of 800,000+ professionals searchable by role type, LGA, and career history, plus a separate 700,000+ temp database, supported by the Comensura contractor portal and FastTrack360 weekly timesheet system. Named leadership comprises Managing Director Tom Dumper, Director Neil Colquhoun, state managers in VIC (Marcel Lafontaine), NSW (Alex Scott), and QLD (Paul Johanson), plus a National Accounts Director and dedicated sector leads. PSP reports 20,000+ lifetime placements, 300+ government clients, a 98% overall placement success rate, and 100% success at leadership level, with 44% of hires originating from its proprietary candidate network rather than external advertising.

Name

Public Sector People

Legal name

Search4

Website

https://publicsectorpeople.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Public Sector People is an Australian specialist recruitment agency exclusively serving local, state, and federal government plus not-for-profit organizations, with 30+ dedicated consultants across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth, and an 800,000-candidate database.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Temporary Help Services (56132)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Government & Public Sector Direct Hire (BPACAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Government & Public Sector Temp Staffing (BPACACAL)

Keywords

• Government recruitment services
• Public sector staffing
• Executive search consulting
• Local council recruitment
• Temporary staffing solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Permanent Placement Recruitment: Retained and contingency search fees for placing permanent candidates in public sector roles. Includes Executive Search, Leadership Search, and standard permanent placements across Local Government, State Government, Federal Government, and Not-for-Profit sectors.
2. Temporary/Contract Staffing: Placement of temporary workers across public sector with weekly payroll services. Consultants have access to database of 700,000+ professionals with approximately 30% immediately available for contract roles. Includes payroll management, timesheet processing, and aftercare support.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Public Sector People is an Australian specialist recruitment agency that places permanent, temporary, and contract candidates into Local Government, State Government, Federal Government, Not-for-Profit, and associated public sector organisations. Services span executive and leadership search, general permanent placement, and temporary/contract staffing supported by a coded database of more than 800,000 candidates and a separate 700,000+ temp database, delivered by 30+ specialist single-desk consultants across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth.

Product overview

Public Sector People operates as a specialist recruitment agency exclusively focused on the Australian public sector. The company offers a unified portfolio of recruitment services comprising Search & Selection (executive and leadership search), Temp Recruitment (temporary staffing), and Permanent Placement. These core services are supported by specialised discipline practices covering Business Support, Construction & Engineering, IT & Communications, Planning & Environment, and Professional sectors, as well as a dedicated For Purpose/NFP division. The company also provides supporting technology platforms including Comensura for contractor management and FastTrack360 for timesheet processing. As part of the Search4 group established in 2004, the company operates across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth with offices in Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Search & Selection

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% overall placement success rate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Search4coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent group established in 2004 encompassing Design & Build Recruitment, Public Sector People, and Tech & Data People brands. PSP is the dedicated government, public sector, and for-purpose brand within the group. Group employs over 100 people across multiple Australian cities.
• Queensland GovernmentmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerState government client relationship for recruitment services across Queensland departments and agencies
• LGPro (Local Government Professionals)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic partnership with Local Government Professionals organization, supporting procurement needs for member councils
• Local BuycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApproved Preferred Supplier through Local Buy (LGAQ procurement platform). Enables Queensland councils to access PSP recruitment services without separate tender processes. Over $850 million spent through Local Buy arrangements in past year.
• Fitted for WorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSR partnership helping women experiencing disadvantage to secure and maintain meaningful employment through coaching, dressing, and career support
• Diversity Council Australia (DCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSR partnership providing evidence-based research, education, and tools to advance workplace diversity and inclusion across Australia
• The FieldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSR partnership - disability-inclusive job platform designed by and for people with disabilities, enabling equitable access to employment opportunities
• Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSR partnership supporting neurodiverse candidates and promoting inclusive hiring practices for people on the autism spectrum
• Supply NationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSR partnership connecting with certified Indigenous-owned businesses and reinforcing commitment to supplier diversity in recruitment partnerships
• Design & Build RecruitmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSibling brand within Search4 group with 20+ years of experience in construction, engineering, and property. PSP draws on their private-sector technical bench to broaden candidate reach across built environment and property markets when niche skills are scarce.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Design & Build Recruitment: Sibling brand within the Search4 group, specializing in construction, engineering, and property recruitment. Directly comparable as a related recruitment brand under the same parent, sharing infrastructure, candidate databases, and operating model.
• Rimfire Resources: Australian recruitment firm focused on agribusiness, food, and public sectors. Comparable in targeting specialized sectors with dedicated consultant expertise and long-term client relationships in Australia.
• Peoplebank Australia: Australian IT and digital recruitment specialist with government practice. Comparable in placing technology and digital professionals into public sector roles, with similar end-to-end search and selection methodology.
• Talent International: Australian IT and government recruitment specialist. Comparable in serving public sector clients with technology and digital talent, with similar panel arrangements and long-term government contracts.

Broad incumbents

• Hays Australia: Global recruitment firm with a significant Australian public sector practice. Comparable in serving government clients across multiple disciplines but operates as a broad incumbent across private and public sectors rather than specializing exclusively.
• Chandler Macleod: One of Australia's largest recruitment firms with dedicated government and public sector divisions. Comparable in providing temporary and permanent staffing to government clients, though operates across multiple sectors rather than exclusively public sector.
• Robert Half Australia: Global specialist recruiter with strong presence in finance, accounting, and executive search. Comparable in delivering executive search and professional placement services to government and corporate clients in Australia.
• Hudson Global (Australia): Global recruitment firm with Australian operations across public sector, professional, and executive search. Comparable in targeting government and corporate clients with similar end-to-end recruitment services.
• Ambition Australia: Asia-Pacific recruitment firm with Australian government and public sector practice. Comparable in providing professional and executive search services to government agencies across the region.

Regional players

• Davidson (technology & professional recruitment): Australian recruitment firm with public sector and government technology practices. Comparable in serving Australian government agencies with specialist recruitment, though broader in scope across private sector.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/search4
• Xx.com/people_sector

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Public Sector People