About HBG
Superior People, Superior Service
Founded in 2018 by Sebastian Harrison-Barratt, Harrison Barratt Group has grown from a one-person Sydney operation into a nationally licensed labour hire and recruitment agency with offices across Australia and New Zealand.
Our Story
Built by a Recruiter, for the Industry
Harrison Barratt Group was founded in 2018 in Sydney with a straightforward premise: the construction and trades recruitment industry deserved better. Better candidates, faster turnarounds, and an agency run by someone who actually understands the job because they still do it every day.
Sebastian Harrison-Barratt started HBG from a single desk in Surry Hills. Within a few years, the business expanded into Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Auckland — earning labour hire licences in every state and building a reputation for reliability that saw a 92% client return rate.
Today, HBG connects expertise across construction, civils, manufacturing, logistics, development, and real estate. With 128,000+ candidates in our database, 10,800+ inducted workers ready to deploy, and 860+ active clients, we operate at a scale that few independent agencies can match — without losing the personalised service that got us here.
Our Managing Director still recruits daily. That’s not a talking point — it’s how we stay connected to the market, our clients, and the candidates who make it all work.
What started as a one-man operation in a shared office quickly became something bigger. Sebastian had spent years working inside large recruitment agencies and saw the same problems repeated: slow response times, account managers who had never placed a candidate themselves, generic shortlists, and a disconnect between the people selling the service and the people delivering it. HBG was built to solve those problems from day one.
The early years were focused entirely on Sydney’s construction market — commercial fitout, residential high-rise, and civil infrastructure. Word spread quickly because the model was different: the person who took the job order was the same person who sourced, screened, and presented the candidates. There was no hand-off, no lost context, and no excuses. Clients noticed, and the referral pipeline grew organically.
By 2021, demand from clients with multi-state operations made national expansion a necessity rather than an ambition. Brisbane came first, followed by Melbourne, Perth, and eventually Auckland. Each office was opened in response to client need, not a boardroom growth strategy — and each one operates with the same founder-led mentality that defined the original Sydney desk.
Today, HBG employs a growing team of specialist recruiters, compliance officers, payroll administrators, and support staff across five offices. The business has placed workers on projects ranging from $500K residential renovations to $2B+ infrastructure programs, and our labour hire division deploys hundreds of workers to sites every single week.
Our Approach
How We Operate Differently
Most recruitment agencies look the same from the outside. The difference is in how the work actually gets done.
The MD Recruits Daily
At most agencies, the founder steps back once the business reaches a certain size. At HBG, Sebastian Harrison-Barratt is still on the phone every day — sourcing candidates, meeting clients, and closing roles. This keeps leadership connected to market conditions, pricing pressures, and candidate expectations in real time. It also means every recruiter in the business has direct access to someone who understands their challenges because he faces the same ones.
Specialists, Not Generalists
Every recruiter at HBG operates within a defined sector — whether that is commercial construction, residential builds, building services, civil infrastructure, or labour hire. This specialisation means our consultants develop deep market knowledge, build stronger relationships with hiring managers, and can advise on salary benchmarks, availability, and market trends with genuine authority. We do not rotate consultants across unrelated industries.
Automation and Technology-Forward
HBG invests heavily in technology to remove administrative burden from recruiters and deliver faster outcomes for clients. Our tech stack includes JobAdder as our ATS, LinkedIn Recruiter for passive sourcing, proprietary LinkedIn automation tools built in-house, Lusha and DotCNX for direct contact data, Distil Alert for real-time market monitoring, and AI-assisted candidate matching. This infrastructure means less time on admin and more time on the phone doing the work that actually matters.
Ethical Employment Practices
Every labour hire worker placed through HBG receives above-award pay rates, proper superannuation contributions, workers’ compensation coverage, and portable long service leave where applicable. We do not engage in sham contracting, we do not underpay workers, and we do not cut corners on safety inductions. Our dedicated payroll partner JWHB ensures compliance across every jurisdiction we operate in, and our internal compliance team conducts regular audits of pay rates, entitlements, and WHS documentation.
Industry Expertise
Deep Roots in Construction
Construction is our core — 565 of our 818 permanent placements have been in the construction sector. But our expertise extends across several industries that keep Australia building and moving.
Construction
Commercial fitout, residential high-rise, new builds, refurbishments, and civil infrastructure. From site labourers and trades through to Project Managers, Contract Administrators, Site Managers, and Construction Directors. We cover tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 contractors across NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, and New Zealand.
Building Services
Mechanical, electrical, fire protection, hydraulics, and HVAC. We recruit Project Managers, Estimators, Service Managers, and commissioning engineers for building services contractors working on commercial, industrial, and government projects nationwide.
Engineering and Manufacturing
Structural, civil, and mechanical engineers for consulting firms and contractors. Manufacturing roles including production managers, quality assurance leads, and skilled tradespeople for fabrication and assembly operations across Australia.
Logistics and Warehousing
Forklift operators, warehouse supervisors, pick-packers, and logistics coordinators. Our labour hire division supplies workers to distribution centres, manufacturing facilities, and construction material suppliers across metropolitan and regional areas.
Compliance & Licensing
Licensed in Every State We Operate
Labour hire licensing exists to protect workers from exploitation and to ensure that agencies meet minimum standards around pay, safety, and employment conditions. HBG holds active labour hire licences in every Australian state that requires one — including NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, and ACT. This is not a formality; it is a legal requirement that many smaller agencies fail to meet.
For our clients, this means reduced risk. When you engage HBG, you can be confident that every worker we supply is covered by appropriate workers’ compensation insurance, is paid at or above the relevant award rate, has completed a site-specific safety induction, and is legally entitled to work in Australia. Our compliance team maintains up-to-date records for every candidate, including white cards, licences, police checks, working rights documentation, and trade qualifications.
We also maintain comprehensive public liability and professional indemnity insurance, and our payroll partner JWHB handles all superannuation, PAYG withholding, and portable long service leave obligations on behalf of our clients. This end-to-end compliance framework is one of the key reasons our client return rate sits at 92%.
Our Journey
Key Milestones
Founded in Sydney
Sebastian Harrison-Barratt launches HBG from a single desk in Surry Hills, focusing on construction recruitment in the Sydney market.
First 100 Clients
HBG reaches 100 active clients within the first 18 months, driven entirely by referrals and repeat business from tier 2 and tier 3 contractors.
Labour Hire Division Launched
Responding to client demand, HBG launches a dedicated labour hire division supplying trades and general labourers to construction sites across NSW.
National Expansion Begins
HBG opens offices in Brisbane and Melbourne to service clients with multi-state operations. Labour hire licences secured in QLD and VIC.
Perth and NSWICC Partnership
Western Australian office opens. HBG partners with the NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce to create Indigenous employment pathways in construction.
Auckland Office and 10,000 Inducted Workers
International expansion into New Zealand. The inducted candidate pool surpasses 10,000 workers across all trades and skill levels.
860+ Active Clients and Growing
HBG services over 860 active clients, 128,000 candidates in the database, and operates from five offices across Australia and New Zealand.
By the Numbers
The Scale Behind the Service
Numbers that reflect years of consistent delivery across every state we operate in.
128,000+
Candidates in Database
10,800+
Inducted & Ready to Deploy
860+
Active Clients
1,200+
Unique Sites Serviced
92%
Client Return Rate
8+
Years in Business
Our Values
What We Stand For
These aren’t aspirational statements on a wall — they’re the standards we hold ourselves to on every placement, every day.
Integrity First
We do what we say we'll do. Every candidate is verified, every client commitment is honoured, and every interaction is transparent — no shortcuts, no grey areas.
Compliance Without Compromise
Licensed in every state we operate. Full WHS documentation, induction processes, and insurance coverage. Our dedicated payroll partner JWHB ensures every worker is paid correctly, on time, every time.
Speed to Deliver
With 10,800+ inducted candidates ready to deploy and a database of 128,000+, we fill roles fast. Most labour hire requests are confirmed within hours, not days.
Quality of Candidates
Every candidate is screened, reference-checked, and inducted before they step on site. Our 92% client return rate speaks to the calibre of people we supply.
Ethical Employment
Fair pay, safe conditions, and genuine career pathways for every worker. We partner with NSWICC to create meaningful employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians.
Founder-Led, Client-First
Our Managing Director still recruits daily. You won't deal with account managers who've never filled a role — you'll deal with people who understand your project because they've staffed hundreds.
Our Partnerships
Working Together for Better Outcomes
We partner with organisations that share our commitment to ethical employment, compliance, and creating genuine opportunities for workers across Australia.
NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce
HBG is a proud partner of NSWICC, working together to create meaningful employment pathways for Indigenous Australians in construction, trades, and professional roles across the country. Through this partnership, we actively source, induct, and place Indigenous candidates into labour hire and permanent roles on major construction projects. We work with NSWICC to connect candidates with pre-employment training, mentoring, and ongoing support to ensure long-term retention — not just a first placement. This is central to how HBG approaches reconciliation: through real jobs, real pay, and real career progression.
JWHB Payroll Solutions
Our dedicated payroll partner ensures every worker is paid correctly, on time, with full compliance across superannuation, PAYG, workers’ compensation, and portable long service leave — so our clients never have to worry about payroll risk.
Ready to Work With Us?
Whether you need workers on site tomorrow or a permanent hire for your next project, we’re here to help.