Rural Enterprises

What Rural Enterprises does

Rural Enterprises Australia Pty Ltd is a privately held, family-owned agricultural recruitment company headquartered in Vasse, Western Australia, with an additional team presence in New South Wales. Founded over 60 years ago and acquired by Emma and Stuart Willis in February 2013, the company operates a dual-model platform serving both permanent and seasonal agricultural labour markets. The permanent recruitment offering is a full-service, end-to-end model covering advertising, screening, shortlisting, referencing and interview support, with fees invoiced after successful placement and a replacement policy included. The seasonal offering is a self-service advertising platform where employers register, pay A$695+GST upfront per listing, and access a curated pool of pre-screened candidates; listings remain live for up to 14 days and can be extended.

The underlying technology consists of a web-based recruitment portal integrated with the Australian Government's VEVO work rights verification system, enabling employers to confirm visa entitlements online. A Featured Candidates database provides reference-checked job seekers with verified work experience and availability for both permanent and seasonal roles. Supporting features include employer and job seeker registration portals, a job board segmented by job category and Australian state, and a Referral Scheme rewarding successful candidate introductions. The platform does not expose a public API or developer SDK.

Rural Enterprises generates revenue through two primary streams: transaction-based permanent placement fees (invoiced post-placement, with reduced conversion fees for seasonal-to-permanent transitions) and one-time seasonal advertising fees (A$695+GST per listing). The company serves Australian agricultural employers across broadacre cropping, mixed farming, livestock, horticulture, viticulture, dairy and stations, and connects them with both Australian resident workers and international candidates on Working Holiday Visas. Candidate sourcing extends to New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland via farming publications. The company additionally holds a flagship Australian Government contract for the Local Jobs Program Employment Facilitator and Support Services in the Perth North region, extended to 30 June 2027.

Name

Rural Enterprises

Legal name

Rural Enterprises Australia Pty Ltd

Website

https://ruralenterprises.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rural Enterprises is a family-owned Australian agricultural recruitment company operating from Western Australia with a NSW presence. It runs a dual-model platform providing full-service permanent recruitment and self-service seasonal job advertising for farms and job seekers across broadacre, livestock, horticulture and mixed farming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Recruitment Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Seasonal & Migrant Farm Labor Staffing (AFACAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Labor, Workforce & Safety Management Advisory (HSE, Training, HR) (AFACAJAI)

Keywords

• Agricultural recruitment
• Rural employment services
• Permanent farm jobs
• Seasonal farm work
• Work rights verification

Headquarters

HQ city

Vasse

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Permanent Recruitment Services: Full-service end-to-end recruitment for long-term agricultural roles. No upfront payment required - fees are invoiced after successful placement. Service includes advertising, screening, shortlisting, referencing, and support through interview and offer process. Replacement policy included at no additional cost.
2. Seasonal Job Advertising: Self-service advertising package for short-term seasonal roles including seeding, harvest and casual on-farm work. Full payment required upfront ($695 plus GST) before job advert is published. Listing live for up to 14 days, extendable. No replacement policy for seasonal hires.
3. Permanent Conversion Fee: Reduced fee structure when a seasonal worker transitions to a permanent role. Contact required prior to confirming ongoing offer to outline applicable structure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rural Enterprises provides recruitment and job advertising services for the Australian agricultural sector. It operates a full-service permanent placement model (advertising, screening, shortlisting, referencing, interview and offer support, fees invoiced after placement) and a self-service seasonal job advertising platform (paid upfront at A$695+GST per listing) covering seeding, harvest and casual on-farm roles. Supporting capabilities include a curated Featured Candidates database, an employer/jobs portal, and integration with the Department of Immigration's VEVO system to verify workers' visa entitlements.

Product overview

Rural Enterprises operates as a dual-platform agricultural recruitment service consisting of a permanent full-service recruitment offering and a seasonal self-service advertising platform. The permanent service provides end-to-end recruitment including advertising, screening, shortlisting, referencing, and interview support with fees invoiced after successful placement. The seasonal platform allows employers to self-manage job listings with upfront payment, providing access to pre-screened candidates with vetted references. Supporting features include a Featured Candidates database, job seeker and employer registration portals, VEVO work rights verification, and a referral incentive scheme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Recruitment Services Full-service, end-to-end recruitment for long-term permanent roles in agriculture, agribusiness, livestock, and rural operations. Service includes advertising, screening, shortlisting, referencing, and interview and offer support with no upfront payment required - fees are invoiced after successful placement and a replacement policy is included at no additional cost for permanent hires.
• Seasonal Recruitment Services Self-service advertising package for short-term seasonal roles covering seeding, harvest and casual on-farm work. Full payment is required upfront ($695 plus GST) before the job advert is published, listings remain live for up to 14 days extendable, and Rural Enterprises manages application vetting before employer visibility.
• VEVO Work Rights Verification Immigration status verification service enabling employers to confirm work, study and licence entitlements of visa holders online. Rural Enterprises is registered with the Australian immigration department to conduct VEVO checks, ensuring recruited workers have appropriate work rights for Australia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Replacement policy included at no additional cost for permanent placements
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Australian Government - Local Jobs ProgramflagshipOthers · 1 July 2021Rural Enterprises Australia awarded the contract for Employment Facilitator and Support Services for the Local Jobs Program for the Perth North region. The program supports recovery of local economies through place-based strategies connecting job seekers to local jobs. Extended additional two years to 30 June 2027. Funded by Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment.
• AgristartcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020In conjunction with Agristart, Rural Enterprises created the Future Works program as part of the Local Jobs Program (LJP) to address labour shortages in the primary industries sector in South West WA. The program was designed to increase local employment opportunities and equip individuals with knowledge, skills and confidence for sustained employment in agriculture through field trips, job readiness workshops, and career videos.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WorkPac: One of Australia's largest labour hire and recruitment firms with notable exposure to rural, agribusiness and industrial workforces. Competes on permanent and temporary staffing across regional Australia.
• Agri Labour Australia: Direct competitor offering labour hire and recruitment services across Australian agriculture, horticulture and rural operations. Highly comparable service mix spanning seasonal and permanent placements for farms.
• Chandler Macleod: National Australian staffing and recruitment provider with regional, trades, and agribusiness exposure. Comparable on permanent placement model and seasonal/temp deployment.
• Frontier Agribusiness Recruitment: Specialist agribusiness and rural executive/permanent recruitment firm operating in Australia. Comparable niche specialisation in agricultural workforce placement.
• MADEC Australia: Australian not-for-profit workforce and education provider operating the Harvest Trail and rural recruitment services, directly competing for seasonal and permanent agricultural placements.
• Rimfire Resources: Australian agribusiness recruitment specialist focused on permanent and executive placements across agriculture, horticulture and rural supply chain. Direct overlap in permanent recruitment value proposition.

Others

• JobAdder: Australian SaaS recruitment ATS/platform powering Rural Enterprises' permanent vacancy registration workflows. Adjacent enabling technology provider rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Seek Limited: Australia's dominant online employment marketplace. Competes indirectly with REA's self-service seasonal job advertising product and increasingly serves agricultural employers.
• PeopleIN: ASX-listed Australian staffing group with broad rural, blue-collar and health verticals. Larger incumbent that overlaps with REA's seasonal/permanent placement model at greater scale.
• Skilled Group (Programmed): Large Australian staffing and workforce solutions provider with regional and agribusiness exposure. Offers similar permanent and contract recruitment to employers across rural Australia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rural-enterprises

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Rural Enterprises