Seek was built in 1997 for permanent office roles. Nothing was ever built for the 2.4 million Australians who work casually. Until now.
Restaurants, cafes, farms, and butchers shutting down — not because demand disappeared, but because they could not find staff. The connection was never made.
In 2026 you can find a life partner with one swipe. To find a casual shift you still need a polished resume or walk the street. That system is thirty years old and nobody replaced it.
Workers accept shifts knowing nothing about who they are working for. No rating. No verified history. The AFP documented a 140% rise in forced labour cases over six years.
The parent returning to work. The student fitting shifts around study. The backpacker needing farm days. Their skills are real. Their resume does not look flashy. They deserve better.
Australia faces a 300,000 worker shortage by 2027. The government is missing housing targets. Sites need workers. Workers need sites. The connection does not exist.
Someone wants to work today. They apply. They wait two days. They get a reply for a shift 45 minutes away next Thursday. By then the will is gone. Staafd meets them in the moment.
"Businesses are closing because the connection was never made.The Staafd mission
Staafd makes the connection."
LinkedIn laid off 600 people. Big companies are cutting professional roles. Those workers still need income — and they are moving into flexible casual work. The casual labour market is expanding as the professional market contracts.
From 1 July 2026 employers must pay superannuation on the same day as wages. For small businesses hiring casual workers shift by shift this is unmanageable without technology. Staafd automates it. No competitor is building this.
Nobody knew they needed Seek until it existed. Nobody knew they needed Airbnb until it existed. The need was always real — the platform makes it visible. Staafd is the first platform built specifically for casual shift matching. A new category entirely.