What Tradeforce does

AWF (operating under AWF Limited, formerly Allied Work Force) is a New Zealand-based blue-collar recruitment agency founded in 1988 that connects workers with employers across 50+ industries including construction, civil engineering, manufacturing, transport, logistics, trades, mining, engineering, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and automotive. The company operates through a nationwide network of 20 branch offices spanning from Kaitaia in the Far North to Invercargill in the South, including three specialized Auckland branches (Construction & Civil, Engineering & Technical, Manufacturing & Logistics) and a wholly-owned South Island subsidiary, Select Recruitment, based in Dunedin. AWF is the blue-collar arm of the Accordant Group, the largest recruitment group in Aotearoa and the only staffing provider listed on the NZX.

AWF generates revenue through two principal streams: managed temporary/contract staffing services (where AWF employs workers, handles payroll, supplies PPE, and assigns them to client job sites) and permanent recruitment placement services. Named enterprise customers include Tier-1 NZ civil and infrastructure contractors (Downer, Fulton Hogan, Higgins, Ventia) alongside industrial employers such as Mars Petcare, McLeod Hiabs, and Frames & Trusses manufacturers, with thousands of additional employers serviced across the long tail. A differentiator is the company's proprietary training capability — AWF operates its own accredited Traffic Management training and delivers Site Safe, Construct Safe, and various machinery licence programs, with approximately 1,800 field employees obtaining recognized certifications in 2023 alone.

The go-to-market combines enterprise field sales with dedicated account management for multi-location clients, supplemented by a community-led model involving sports sponsorships (Softball NZ, AWF Sports Stadium/Rosedale Park), local events, and partnerships with government bodies such as Te Puni Kokiri through the Maori Cadetship Programme Te Mana o Whakaaro. Distribution spans a branch-based direct sales channel for enterprise, an online self-serve job portal for job seekers, and social media recruitment campaigns (e.g., #BuildAKL with Fletcher Building, Hawkins, and ATEED). AI tools are used to assist in processing and evaluating candidate information, though human recruitment consultants retain final hiring authority.

Name

Tradeforce

Legal name

AWF Limited

Website

https://tradeforce.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AWF is a New Zealand blue-collar recruitment agency founded in 1988, operating 20 nationwide branches across 50+ industries and serving as the staffing arm of NZX-listed Accordant Group, the largest recruitment group in Aotearoa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing and Recruitment Services

NAICS

Temporary Help Services (56132), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Maritime & Port Labor (Dockworkers/Longshore) Staffing (BPACAEAL)

Keywords

• Temporary staffing services
• Permanent recruitment agency
• Blue collar workforce
• Industrial labor hiring
• Construction staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland - Construction & Civil

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Temporary/Contract Staffing Services: AWF employs workers and assigns them to different jobs as needed. Employers engage and pay AWF to find and manage temporary workers. AWF handles payroll, employment obligations, and provides PPE, training, and support for field employees.
2. Permanent Recruitment Services: AWF also provides permanent recruitment solutions, placing candidates into permanent roles with clients. The most common reason job seekers no longer need AWF's services is because they move into permanent roles.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AWF is a New Zealand-based recruitment agency that supplies temporary and permanent blue-collar workers to employers across 50+ industries including construction, civil infrastructure, manufacturing, transport, logistics, trades, mining, engineering, agriculture, and automotive. The company employs workers directly and assigns them to client jobs, handling payroll, employment obligations, PPE, training, and ongoing support. Services are delivered through 20+ branch offices nationwide and an online job portal.

Product overview

Tradeforce (operating as AWF) is a New Zealand-based recruitment agency providing staffing services. The company offers temporary and permanent recruitment solutions across multiple industries including construction, civil engineering, manufacturing, operations, transport, logistics, trades, mining, engineering, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and automotive. Key services include flexible temporary workforce solutions, permanent recruitment, training and upskilling programs, and career pathway support. The company operates through 20+ branch locations across New Zealand and is part of the NZX-listed Accordant Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flexible Temp Workforce Temporary staffing service providing blue-collar workers (construction labourers, machine operators, traffic controllers, drivers, factory workers, tradespeople) to employers across 50+ industries in New Zealand. AWF manages all employment obligations including payroll, PPE, training, and support.
• Permanent Recruitment Permanent recruitment service placing candidates into permanent roles with client businesses across construction, civil, manufacturing, transport, logistics, mining, and trades sectors.
• Training Capability Workforce training and certification programs for field employees including accredited Traffic Management training, Site Safe certification, Construct Safe, forklift and machinery licenses, provided to support employer compliance and worker upskilling.
• Select Recruitment (South Island Division) Specialized recruitment division based in Dunedin providing tailored recruitment services to businesses across the South Island with localized market expertise.
• Online Job Search Portal Self-serve online job portal where candidates can search 70+ current roles, register, and submit CVs across industries including construction, manufacturing, transport, mining, trades, agriculture, engineering, and automotive.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 1,800 field employees obtained recognised certifications in 2023 while working
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• Accordant GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWF is part of the Accordant Group, the largest recruitment group in Aotearoa and the only staffing provider listed on the NZX. Accordant Group provides shared services including payroll, IT support, marketing, and finance.
• DownercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWF works with Downer, one of New Zealand's largest civil and infrastructure companies, to provide field employees across a variety of roles for projects building and maintaining bridges, tunnels, dams, airports, and roads.
• Fulton HogancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWF partners with Fulton Hogan to deliver civil and infrastructure projects, providing workers for various roles throughout project lifecycles.
• HigginscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWF provides field employees for Higgins, supporting their civil and construction project workforce needs.
• VentiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWF partners with Ventia to provide staffing solutions for their infrastructure and services operations.
• Te Puni Kokiri (Ministry for Maori Development)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTe Mana o Whakaaro is the AWF Maori Cadetship Programme, a partnership with Te Puni Kokiri. The programme aims to upskill Maori AWF employees, with cadets gaining trades-related skills ranging from carpentry to food handling and civil construction over six months. The programme graduated 50 cadets in 2015 with plans to take 60 more in 2016.
• Fletcher BuildingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAWF teamed up with Fletcher Building on the #BuildAKL social media campaign to raise awareness of construction and infrastructure industry roles, providing training and paid work experience opportunities.
• HawkinsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Hawkins on #BuildAKL campaign to promote construction industry careers to young Aucklanders through training and work experience.
• ATEED (Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerATEED partnered with AWF, Fletcher Building, and Hawkins on #BuildAKL campaign aimed to recruit 4,000 young people into construction trades roles.
• Softball NZminorOthersAWF is a proud supporter of Softball NZ, sponsoring the International Challenge Cup event at AWF Rosedale Park/AWF Sports Stadium. Many current and past AWF temps are active softball players.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Indeed: Global leading job search engine and recruitment platform. Comparable to AWF in serving both employers and job seekers across blue-collar and trades verticals, and increasingly competes with traditional staffing agencies by enabling direct employer-candidate connections.
• Seek Limited: Leading ANZ online employment marketplace operating Seek (AU/NZ) and Trade Me Jobs (NZ). Comparable to AWF as a major player in NZ recruitment, though as a digital marketplace rather than a branch-based staffing firm — representing both a competitor and a channel for AWF's job listings.

Regional players

• Programmed (Persol Australia): Australian staffing and maintenance services provider (now part of Persol Holdings) serving blue-collar and industrial labor markets across Australia. Comparable to AWF in serving blue-collar trades and infrastructure labor with branch-based delivery in a trans-Tasman labor market.
• Trade Me Jobs: New Zealand's largest domestic job board owned by Seek. Comparable to AWF as a primary NZ recruitment channel for both blue-collar job seekers and employers, competing for the same candidate and employer mindshare though via a marketplace model.
• Skilled Group: Australian specialist blue-collar and trades staffing provider (now part of Programmed/Persol). Comparable to AWF in specializing in construction, infrastructure, and industrial labor markets with branch networks across ANZ, though primarily Australia-focused.

Direct peers

• Robert Half: Global staffing and consulting firm specializing in placement and project-based staffing. Comparable to AWF's permanent recruitment service line and managed services model, though Robert Half skews more toward professional/office roles versus AWF's blue-collar focus.
• Randstad: Global staffing firm offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, and HR solutions across industrial, administrative, and professional sectors. Directly comparable to AWF in operating a branch-based staffing model for blue-collar and skilled trades work.
• Adecco Group: Global staffing and workforce solutions leader operating across temporary staffing, permanent placement, and career transition. Comparable to AWF as a multi-vertical, branch-based generalist staffing provider, though operating globally versus AWF's NZ-only footprint.
• ManpowerGroup: One of the largest global staffing firms providing temporary, permanent, and recruitment process outsourcing across multiple industries. Comparable to AWF's multi-vertical blue-collar and trades staffing model, particularly in matching workers to industrial and infrastructure roles.
• Hays: Global specialist staffing firm with strong presence in construction, property, and infrastructure — directly overlapping AWF's largest verticals (civil construction, traffic management, building products). Comparable in serving enterprise civil contractors with skilled labor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tradeforce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Tradeforce