Sidekicker secures $20 million in funding from SEEK Investments to drive next stage growth
June 1, 2022
Sidekicker secures $20 million in funding from SEEK Investments to drive next stage growth
Funding will be used to accelerate further expansion across Australia and New Zealand and improve platform performance
Melbourne, Australia – Sidekicker, Australia & New Zealand's leading temporary and casual staffing platform that is creating better outcomes for businesses and workers, has secured $20m in funding from SEEK investments. The funding will be used to accelerate further expansion across Australia and New Zealand as more businesses turn to Sidekicker for staffing support. The funding will also be used toward platform upgrades, providing improved ways for businesses and workers to interact.
Since its launch in 2013, Sidekicker has transformed the casual and temporary staffing market, and has provided work opportunities to over 40,000 casual workers at over 5,000 organisations across Australia and New Zealand, including some of the world’s most influential industry leaders, such as Uber, AirBnB, Crown and AusPost.
Despite the impact of the pandemic on the labour market, Sidekicker's annual gross revenue has continued to grow at over 70%. Following the end of Australia’s lockdown measures, Sidekicker has been experiencing significant demand from both new and existing customers, currently placing an average of 2,500 workers - known as Sidekicks - into jobs per week.
Over the past year, as worker shortages have increased competition to secure talent, Sidekicker has seen businesses increasingly offering its workers rates above the minimum wage. In particular, the hospitality and healthcare sectors have increased their casual rates significantly, rising between 15-25% and up to and beyond 30% for certain roles compared to six months ago.
Sidekicker CEO, Thomas Amos, who created the company with Co-Founder, Jacqui Bull, said that Sidekicker's continued growth is due to businesses switching from traditional hiring models and turning to platforms like Sidekicker.
“We're very pleased to have the backing of SEEK Investments. This funding round will allow us to continue to invest in expanding our current categories across ANZ whilst delivering new capabilities to our platform that will benefit both our Sidekicks and customers.
“Our continued growth is evidence that we are addressing demand for both employees and workers, and this additional funding will continue to ensure we empower anyone choosing to participate in the casual and temporary employment market; whether they be uni students seeking flexible work around their studies, parents re-entering the workforce, or international Visa holders."
SEEK Investments CEO, Andrew Bassat, said, “SEEK Investments is pleased to be supporting Sidekicker in its next phase of growth. We are strong believers in Sidekicker’s strategy, innovative solution set, and are excited to support the team as Sidekicker continues its growth journey.”
Sidekicker’s technology has disrupted an out-of-date recruitment model, innovating casual and temporary labour-hire to bring efficiencies, transparency, choice and control to both workers and businesses. The Sidekicker platform provides Sidekicks with an easy way to access casual work as and when they choose.
For businesses, Sidekicker’s unique two-way rating and review system drives accountability and reliability of staff, while its transparent platform provides businesses the ability to choose their ideal workers.
Currently, Sidekicker has more than 12,000 casual workers on the platform, supporting more than 2,000 businesses across Australia and New Zealand. With offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland and Wellington, it also hires 133 full-time staff.
About Sidekicker
Sidekicker provides a better way for casual and temporary staff to work with businesses across the
following industries: Hospitality, Events, Mobility, Promotions, Retail, Horticulture, Warehousing, White Collar and Aged Care. Sidekicker connects 12,000+ carefully pre-screened Sidekicks to 5,000+ businesses. We provide choices for our Sidekicks (employees), through its app, delivering many options for them to choose from and select when and where they want to work. Sidekicker was founded in 2012 by Thomas Amos (Founder & CEO) and Jacqueline Bull (Co-Founder & Head of Customer) and has received significant funding from the leading employment marketplace, SEEK.