APositive at RCSA SHAPE 2026: Connecting, Collaborating and Building What’s Next

The APositive team had an incredible time at RCSA SHAPE 2026 in Kingscliff.

From the welcome drinks and boardroom session to conversations at the APay booth, the event brought together recruitment and staffing leaders to exchange ideas, strengthen relationships and explore the opportunities shaping the industry.

More than anything, SHAPE highlighted the value of bringing the industry together. It created space for honest conversations about the challenges agencies are facing, the opportunities ahead and what businesses need to build stronger foundations for sustainable growth.

Connecting with the people shaping recruitment

One of the greatest benefits of SHAPE was the opportunity to engage directly with recruitment agency owners, industry partners and other leaders from across the sector.

For the APositive team, these conversations provided valuable insight into what agencies are experiencing every day. From managing cash flow and rising operating costs to improving payroll processes and selecting the right technology, agency leaders are thinking carefully about how to make their businesses more efficient, resilient and ready to grow.

It was also a chance to reconnect with familiar faces, build new relationships and hear different perspectives from across the recruitment and staffing community.

Turning growth conversations into practical action

Growth was a consistent theme throughout the event, but so was the importance of having the right operational foundations in place to support it.

Winning a large new contract or growing a temporary workforce can create significant opportunities for an agency. However, it can also increase the pressure on cash flow, payroll and internal resources.

The conversations at SHAPE reinforced the need for agencies to consider whether their funding facilities, payroll processes and technology can keep pace with their ambitions. When these systems work together, agency owners can move more confidently, take advantage of opportunities and spend more time focused on clients, candidates and business development.

Giving agencies and their clients more ways to pay

At the APay booth, our team demonstrated how flexible payment options can help recruitment agencies overcome fee objections, improve payment certainty and win more business.

APay allows clients to spread permanent recruitment fees across manageable instalments while the agency receives the full invoice amount upfront. This gives clients greater flexibility without forcing the agency to wait longer to be paid.

It was fantastic to speak with agency leaders about how APay could support their sales process, strengthen client relationships and turn payment flexibility into a competitive advantage.

Supporting RCSA members beyond SHAPE

As RCSA’s exclusive provider of funding, payments and payroll solutions, APositive is proud to support its members with the financial and operational infrastructure they need to grow.

Our partnership is built around more than providing individual products. It is about understanding the recruitment industry, supporting its people and helping agencies build stronger, more sustainable businesses.

SHAPE was an excellent reminder of what makes this industry so valuable: its willingness to collaborate, share knowledge and continue looking ahead.

Thank you to RCSA, everyone involved in delivering the event and each person who took the time to connect with the APositive team. We’re already looking forward to next year.

Ready to strengthen your agency’s foundations for growth?

Whether you need flexible funding, outsourced payroll support or a better way for clients to pay permanent recruitment fees, APositive can help.

Speak with our team to discover how our funding, payments and payroll solutions can support your agency’s next stage of growth.

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