Inside MASA’s international growth strategy: South Africa to Australia

For decades, the Measured Ability South Africa group has built a strong reputation as one of South Africa’s most trusted recruitment and staff solutions specialists. From temporary employment services and permanent recruitment to payroll outsourcing and workforce management. MASA has consistently adapted to changing labour markets while helping businesses secure the talent they need to grow.

We are proud to announce an exciting new chapter in our journey.

MASA has officially expanded internationally through the acquisition of Wood Recruitment in Perth, Australia. This strategic move extends MASA’s recruitment expertise beyond South Africa and establishes a strong operational presence in the Australian market. 

Who Wood Recruitment is and why this acquisition matters

As part of MASA’s international growth strategy, the Measured Ability group has acquired Wood Recruitment, a long-established recruitment agency based in Perth, Western Australia.

This acquisition is an important step in MASA’s growth from a leading South African staffing partner into a broader international recruitment and workforce solutions group. It gives MASA an established presence in the Australian market, while adding the local knowledge, employer relationships, and recruitment experience that Wood Recruitment has built over more than 30 years.

Wood Recruitment has been helping employers and jobseekers in Perth and across Australia since 1991. The agency is known for its people-first approach, boutique service model, and ability to connect businesses with quality candidates across temporary, contract, and permanent roles.

For MASA, the acquisition creates a strong platform for international recruitment growth. By combining Wood Recruitment’s Perth market experience with MASA’s South African staffing expertise, the group is now better positioned to support employers who need reliable, flexible, and scalable workforce solutions.

This acquisition creates opportunities to:

• Expand MASA’s international recruitment footprint
• Strengthen talent mobility between South Africa and Australia
• Give Australian employers access to broader candidate networks
• Improve recruitment turnaround times for hard-to-fill roles
• Create international career pathways for South African professionals
• Build a foundation for future Australian expansions, including Brisbane

The acquisition is not only about establishing a presence in Perth. It also forms part of MASA’s broader long-term growth strategy within Australia. As the business strengthens operations in Western Australia, MASA is simultaneously investing in leadership alignment, regional knowledge sharing, and operational training to support future expansion into additional Australian markets.

MASA’s Cape Town regional manager training in Perth 

A major part of MASA’s international growth strategy is investing in experienced leadership capable of building strong recruitment operations across global markets.

As part of this exciting next phase, MASA’s Cape Town Regional Manager, who has been an integral part of the business for the past 10 years, has recently relocated to Australia, where she is currently undergoing operational and market integration training with the Wood Recruitment team.

This transition represents far more than internal development. It reflects MASA’s long-term commitment to establishing a strong and sustainable presence within the Australian recruitment market while ensuring the same service excellence, people-first culture, and operational standards that have defined the business in South Africa for decades.

Working closely alongside the Perth team provides valuable exposure to:

• Australian labour market dynamics
• Local recruitment legislation and compliance
• Employer expectations and hiring trends
• Regional workforce challenges
• Client relationship management within the Australian market
• International workforce mobility strategies

International recruitment requires more than simply sourcing candidates. It demands local market understanding, cultural awareness, operational agility, and the ability to build trusted relationships across borders.

By investing in hands-on leadership training and cross-regional collaboration, MASA is creating a strong operational bridge between South Africa and Australia. This approach ensures consistency across international operations while still maintaining the local expertise needed to support clients effectively within each region.

Importantly, this relocation and training initiative also forms part of MASA’s broader expansion strategy into Brisbane.

Future Brisbane expansion plans

While Perth represents MASA’s first operational foothold in Australia, the company’s long-term vision extends far beyond Western Australia. Following the successful integration and growth of operations in Perth, MASA plans to expand further into Brisbane, one of Australia’s fastest-growing economic regions.

The Cape Town Regional Manager’s relocation and training in Perth is a foundational step in preparing for the launch of a brand-new MASA branch in Brisbane.

Brisbane continues to experience strong economic growth, supported by major infrastructure investment, population growth, and rising employment demand. In 2026, South East Queensland is emerging as one of Australia’s strongest job-growth regions, reporting that one in five new Australian jobs is now being created in South East Queensland.

As Brisbane’s infrastructure, construction, logistics, and commercial sectors continue to expand, employers will need recruitment partners who can support permanent placements, temporary staffing, contract roles, and long-term workforce planning across a fast-growing regional economy.

Expanding into Brisbane will allow MASA to:

• Extend recruitment support across eastern Australia
• Build stronger employer networks nationally
• Create additional international opportunities for South African talent
• Strengthen workforce mobility between South Africa and Australia
• Support clients with multi-region recruitment requirements

As global recruitment continues to evolve, regional presence, international expertise, and scalable workforce solutions will become increasingly important for businesses operating in competitive labour markets.

MASA’s expansion strategy is designed not only to meet today’s staffing demands, but also to build a future-ready international recruitment network that supports long-term business growth across both South Africa and Australia.