AB Health Group

20/10/2026

A first job shouldn’t require someone to have already done the job.

In September, Australia’s youth unemployment rate reached 11.1%, while the national rate was 4.7%.

At the same time, SEEK reported that job ads rose slightly, but applications per ad continued to climb, therefore more people are competing for each opportunity.

Here’s the question we keep asking: if every “entry-level” role asks for experience, where are young people supposed to get it?

We can’t keep telling the next generation to be job-ready, then remove the very jobs where they learn how to work. Experience has to be built, not just demanded.

And the challenge isn’t only getting people through the door. Jobs and Skills Australia’s 2026 report found that 33% of women and 27% of men are working in occupations below their skill potential. To me, that says we need to get better at recognising what people can do, not just looking for the exact experience they’ve already had.

In healthcare, high standards matter. But we can uphold those standards and still create supported pathways through traineeships, supervised assistant roles and proper onboarding.

If your business says it can’t find good people, look at your first rung. Could one role become someone’s first real opportunity?

15/10/2026

Before you say, “We can’t find anyone,” put a mature candidate on the shortlist.

We keep saying Australia has a workforce shortage, but then experienced candidates hit the recruitment process and discover they may be considered “too old”.

Jobs and Skills Australia found that, on average, mature-age workers took around 20 months to find a new job, compared with nine months for people aged 15–54. In the same research, 221,000 Australians aged 55 and over wanted to work, and one in five surveyed employers considered mature-age applicants too old.

I’ve placed a 65-year-old who kept working until 73. We have actually placed an 81 year old man. Not kidding.

In healthcare, where finding and keeping good people matters, we can’t complain about shortages while screening out capable workers before we’ve properly considered their skills, judgement and reliability.

Here’s the kick the system needs: stop treating age as a shortcut for ability and look at the person. Test the skills and ask what they can contribute.

08/10/2026

08/10/2026

“We loved her experience. We just didn’t think she’d fit in.”

That sentence deserves a follow-up question. What, exactly, wouldn’t she fit into; Your standards of care? Your approach to teamwork? Or a workplace where everyone thinks alike and nobody questions the norm?

I believe culture is enormously important. Respect, reliability and a commitment to patients should be expectations of every healthcare hire. But sharing those values doesn’t require sharing the same personality, background, age or opinions.

The candidate who asks how you manage an understaffed shift isn’t necessarily being difficult. The person who questions your induction process might have something valuable to contribute. And someone who is quieter in an interview may still be excellent at reassuring an anxious patient.

We need to be careful about confusing interview chemistry with capability.

There’s a responsibility on recruiters here, too. When a client says “not the right fit”, we should be willing to ask why.

Equally, candidates deserve an honest picture of the workplace they’re joining. A successful placement needs more substance than everyone getting along during the interview.

In healthcare, I want people who can work respectfully together and speak up when something needs attention. That means being willing to hire someone who might challenge how things have always been done.

29/09/2026

We love an ice bath.

24/09/2026

A patient should never leave a healthcare appointment wondering whether they were properly diagnosed or plainly sold to.

A friend recently attended a new dentist for a check-up and clean. He left with a treatment plan costing approximately $1,800 for deeper cleaning and a custom splint.

The dentist identified 5mm gum pockets, visible wear and a hairline crack in a tooth. The treatment may be entirely necessary. But his immediate question was still: “Am I being up-sold?”

That is the real issue.

When a clinically legitimate treatment feels like a sales pitch, healthcare has a communication problem. Patients need to be shown the evidence, understand the urgency, hear the alternatives and receive an itemised cost, not simply be handed a quote.

One in four Australians recently delayed or missed dental care when they needed it. Cost was a barrier for millions. At a time when people are already nervous about healthcare bills, trust matters more than ever.

We believe healthcare professionals must be recruited for more than their clinical skills. Empathy, transparency and the ability to explain treatment without pressure are just as important.

Because good healthcare isn’t only about making the correct diagnosis, it's about making sure the patient understands it, and trusts the person delivering it.

15/09/2026

School holidays, again! This is always a time when many working parents in our industry should ask two very important questions:

“What am I going to do with the kids?”

And…

“What am I going to do with the practice?”

Here are five things worth organising asap:

Plan the calendar – Book the kids’ activities and confirm your team’s leave early.
Fill the gaps – Line up grandparents, carers and temporary staff before everyone becomes unavailable.
Stay flexible – Holiday plans change, children get sick and practices suddenly get busy.
Have a backup – Every parent needs a Plan B. So does every practice.
Make time to enjoy it – The holidays should create memories for families, not chaos for your team.

Temporary staffing can help your permanent team take the break they deserve while keeping your practice running smoothly and your patients cared for.

AB Health can help you prepare before the school-holiday scramble begins.

The kids might be unpredictable. Your staffing doesn’t have to be.

10/09/2026

School Holidays start in 2 weeks!

26/08/2026

Eight years ago, I placed a 65 year old man into a new role. I remember the placement like it was last year.

At the time, he genuinely wondered whether anyone would give him another opportunity. Last week, at 73, he retired from that very same position.

He called me yesterday. It was emotional.

He told me that when he started the job, he thought he may get a year or two out of it. Eight years later, he was ready to retire.

But he told me he was still learning right up until the end. New people taught him things, younger colleagues taught him things, the job changed, technology changed, and he adapted.

I feel so honoured that he called me.

So, to anyone who thinks they’re too old to start again, please don’t write yourself off, because you are never too old to contribute and never too old to be useful.

This is why I still love what I do.

Recruitment isn’t always about the next job. Sometimes it’s about helping someone realise they still have something of value.

20/08/2026