SKILLSOOP Articles

SKILLSOOP articles provide insights into procurement, supply chain, geopolitics, and economics. They are authored by Richard Hillberg, Managing Director of SKILLSOOP, who brings 25 years of experience in building and leading supply chain recruitment firms, growing the Hays Procurement brand, and founding, scaling, and successfully exiting Jigsaw TM.
We hope you find the content engaging and enjoy the SKILLSOOP Intelligence experience.

Unconstrained Capital: Procurement in the Era of Volatility

Unconstrained Capital: Procurement in the Era of Volatility

When two hundred senior procurement leaders across major Australian and multinational organisations, spanning transport, manufacturing, oil and gas, FMCG, ...

28/10/26

The AI Productivity Fallacy

The AI Productivity Fallacy

For decades, governments, central bankers, and orthodox economists have treated the word "productivity" as a sacred, self-evident economic panacea. It is e...

16/10/26

The Aussie Procurement Pay Landscape: What the Data Actually Tells Us

The Aussie Procurement Pay Landscape: What the Data Actually Tells Us

If you have ever wondered what people are pulling in across the Australian procurement sector, the short answer is: it depends heavily on what you know, wh...

15/10/26

Why Regulatory Fixes Won’t Solve the ATS Frustration

Why Regulatory Fixes Won’t Solve the ATS Frustration

A recent segment on 60 Minutes shed light on the mounting frustration among job seekers navigating Automated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). The narrativ...

13/10/26

Broken Levers: Why Central Banking and Government Mismanagement Are Ruining Australia’s Economy

Broken Levers: Why Central Banking and Government Mismanagement Are Ruining Australia’s Economy

So, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised interest rates again, by 25 basis points, to fight stubborn inflation. However, rising interest rates do not...

30/09/26

How Modern Social Norms Broke the Hiring Experience

How Modern Social Norms Broke the Hiring Experience

As we head into the final quarter of 2026, we have around eight weeks left of the calendar year before recruitment activity drops off and festive celebrati...

29/09/26

Economic Update - Government Spending & GDP

Economic Update - Government Spending & GDP

While domestic income streams display ongoing resilience, persistent public sector deficits and intense reliance on volatile export markets expose the broa...

24/09/26

Pro-Active Wealth Erosion - The Fabian Way

Pro-Active Wealth Erosion - The Fabian Way

SKILLSOOP recently conducted a Cost-of-Living Survey using our technology platform, as I was keen to understand how the current private and public credit c...

16/09/26

Cost of Living Survey Results

Cost of Living Survey Results

The cost-of-living crisis continues to reshape household dynamics across every major economic sector, creating a distinct divide between individual resilie...

15/09/26

How Stable is Stable Coin?

How Stable is Stable Coin?

Many professionals in my network reached out today to ask for my take on Trump’s latest announcement regarding his family's venture, World Liberty Financia...

08/09/26

SKILLSOOP August Report - Procurement

SKILLSOOP August Report - Procurement

Executive SummaryThe Australian economy is currently traversing a delicate post-expansion rebalancing phase. Executive leadership across Australian enterpr...

01/09/26

What SKILLSOOP Data Reveals About Capability, Tenure, and Pay

What SKILLSOOP Data Reveals About Capability, Tenure, and Pay

SKILLSOOP’s technical assessment data provides a comprehensive overview of capability baselines, skill distributions, and performance variations across tec...

18/08/26

Australian Economy - Qtr to Qtr Analysis

Australian Economy - Qtr to Qtr Analysis

Capital Structure & Business Investment (Private vs. Building Capex)In a unmanipulated market, capital flows naturally to areas of highest consumer demand ....

05/08/26

Global Trade & Supply Chain Outlook: An Inflation-Adjusted Purchasing Power Report

Global Trade & Supply Chain Outlook: An Inflation-Adjusted Purchasing Power Report

If we only look at headline spot rates, it is easy to assume the Australian Dollar (AUD) is holding steady. SKILLSOOP’s new FX and REER analysis shows head...

29/07/26

Unlocking Procurement Value: Moving Past Strategic Missteps in Modern Enterprises

Unlocking Procurement Value: Moving Past Strategic Missteps in Modern Enterprises

An analysis of procurement frameworks within many corporations reveals a persistent gap between theoretical models and operational reality. Drawing upon my...

21/07/26

Procurement Capability in Australia - Case Studies Results (24 months)

Procurement Capability in Australia - Case Studies Results (24 months)

In this report, SKILLSOOP provides a comprehensive analysis of procurement capabilities within the Australian market, utilising our advanced assessment res...

17/07/26

Supply Chain Overview - July 2026

Supply Chain Overview - July 2026

Supply Chain Snapshot - SKILLSOOP Intelligence PPI Based Growth from 2011 baseline = Low RiskWPI Vs PPI from 2023 baseline = Moderate RiskNew Orders Vs Pro...

15/07/26

Procurement Recruitment - Artificial Intelligence Hurdles

Procurement Recruitment - Artificial Intelligence Hurdles

Procurement professionals in Australia are undergoing a period of profound structural adjustment, defined by a growing gap between organisational expectati...

07/07/26