SEEK
An Australian-founded digital employment marketplace and recruitment-services group.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
SEEK Limited is an Australian digital employment marketplace and recruitment-services company headquartered in Cremorne, Victoria. Its principal consumer-facing brand, SEEK, connects job seekers with employers through online job advertising, search, applications and related recruitment tools. The business was established in November 1997 by Andrew Bassat, Paul Bassat and Matt Rockman, with Robert Sloan and Adam Ryan among its first employees. Its website launched in March 1998 as an online alternative to newspaper employment classifieds. SEEK developed during the early expansion of internet-based recruitment. After receiving venture-capital investment by 2000, it built a large Australian employment marketplace and expanded internationally during the 2000s. Its international strategy focused particularly on Asia and Latin America, where the group acquired or developed interests in local employment platforms. SEEK operates directly or through associated businesses in Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Its international portfolio has included major employment platforms such as JobStreet and JobsDB, although the group has also exited selected markets and investments over time. The company broadened its activities beyond conventional job listings. SEEK Learning supported career-development and training discovery; SEEK Volunteer connected users with volunteering opportunities; SEEK Business promoted businesses available for sale; and SEEK Investments operated as an investment arm. These activities reflected an effort to participate in several stages of the employment and career journey rather than relying only on classified job advertising. SEEK was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange on 18 April 2005. The initial flotation gave the company a reported market capitalisation of approximately A$587 million at the time. Its public-company structure supported further international expansion and investment in online recruitment technology. The business has generally positioned itself as a technology-enabled employment marketplace serving both sides of the labour market: candidates seeking work and employers seeking applicants. The group has also experienced strategic reshaping. Paul Bassat departed SEEK in 2012 and later co-founded Square Peg Capital. Andrew Bassat remained a prominent leader and was recognised as Australian Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2013; he subsequently stepped down as chief executive in 2021. In May 2022, SEEK moved its head office to a newly constructed building in Cremorne, Victoria. In June 2024, it sold its holdings in the Mexican employment board OCC and the Brazilian platform Catho to Barcelona-based Red Arbor, reducing its direct exposure to Latin American job-board operations. SEEK's current identity is therefore broader than a single Australian job website. It is a listed employment-marketplace group with a core Australian and New Zealand presence, a substantial Asia-Pacific orientation, international investments, and adjacent services related to education, volunteering, business sales and recruitment technology. Its competitive role comes from aggregating job supply and candidate demand, building employer-recruitment products, and using marketplace scale to make online hiring more efficient.
History
SEEK was founded in November 1997 by Andrew Bassat, Paul Bassat and Matt Rockman as an internet-based alternative to printed employment classifieds. Robert Sloan and Adam Ryan were among the first employees. The SEEK website went live in March 1998, at a time when online recruitment was still an emerging category and most job advertising remained tied to newspapers and specialist print publications. By 2000, SEEK had attracted venture-capital investment. The company used the developing internet marketplace model to bring employers and candidates together in a searchable, continuously updated environment. Its Australian operations became the foundation for a broader recruitment technology business, combining job advertising with candidate search, applications and employer-facing services. During the period from 2000 to 2010, SEEK pursued international expansion, concentrating especially on Asian and Latin American employment markets. The group operated or invested in platforms serving countries including China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The international strategy produced strong results in some locations, including China, while Brazil proved more difficult. SEEK's portfolio approach gave it exposure to local brands and market structures rather than requiring every country to use a single uniform consumer proposition. SEEK became a public company on the Australian Securities Exchange on 18 April 2005. Its reported market capitalisation at listing was approximately A$587 million. Public ownership provided a platform for continued technology investment, acquisitions and international development. Over time, the company expanded its scope beyond the core job marketplace through SEEK Learning, SEEK Volunteer, SEEK Business and SEEK Investments. These activities connected recruitment with training, volunteering, business ownership and investment in related technology or employment businesses. Leadership and corporate structure evolved as the group matured. Co-founder Paul Bassat left SEEK in 2012 and later established Square Peg Capital. Andrew Bassat remained a central figure in the company's development and was named Australian Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2013. He stepped down as chief executive in 2021. In May 2022, SEEK moved its head office to a newly built facility in Cremorne, Victoria, reinforcing Melbourne as the centre of its corporate operations. The later history includes portfolio rationalisation. In June 2024, SEEK disposed of its holdings in OCC in Mexico and Catho in Brazil to Red Arbor, a Barcelona-based operator of employment websites. The transaction reduced SEEK's direct Latin American exposure and illustrated the group's willingness to reshape its international portfolio. SEEK remains principally identified with online employment marketplaces in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, while retaining a broader group model involving recruitment services, adjacent career offerings and investments.
- 2024
Latin American holdings are sold
[1]SEEK sells its interests in OCC and Catho to Red Arbor.
- 2022
Head office moves to Cremorne
[1]SEEK relocates its head office to a newly constructed building in Cremorne, Victoria.
- 2021
Andrew Bassat steps down as CEO
[1]Andrew Bassat ends his tenure as chief executive after leading the company through much of its growth.
- 2012
Co-founder Paul Bassat departs
[1]Paul Bassat leaves SEEK and later co-founds Square Peg Capital.
- 2005
Australian Securities Exchange listing
[1]SEEK floats on the ASX on 18 April with a reported market capitalisation of about A$587 million.
- 2000
Venture investment supports expansion
[1]SEEK receives venture-capital investment as it develops its online recruitment marketplace.
- 1998
SEEK website launches
[1]The company's website launches in March, offering an internet-based alternative to printed job advertisements.
- 1997
SEEK is founded
[1]Andrew Bassat, Paul Bassat and Matt Rockman establish SEEK as an online employment-classifieds venture.
Products and positioning
A leading Australian and Asia-Pacific digital employment marketplace connecting job seekers, employers and recruitment businesses.
Online employment marketplace · 1998
SEEK.com.au
SEEK's principal Australian employment platform. It enables employers and recruiters to advertise vacancies and reach candidates, while job seekers can search listings, create profiles, submit applications and explore career opportunities. The service is the core expression of the company's two-sided marketplace model.
Career development
SEEK Learning
An adjacent SEEK offering focused on career development and training discovery. It extends the brand beyond immediate job matching by helping users investigate education or skills pathways related to employment and career progression.
Volunteering marketplace
SEEK Volunteer
A service that connects people interested in volunteering with organisations seeking volunteers. It uses the marketplace and search capabilities associated with SEEK to support non-paid participation and community opportunities.
Business-for-sale listings
SEEK Business
A listings service for promoting businesses that are available for sale. It applies SEEK's classified-marketplace model to business ownership opportunities rather than conventional employment vacancies.
Investment arm
SEEK Investments
SEEK's investment activity and investment arm, used to hold interests in businesses connected with employment, recruitment and related technology. It represents the group's participation in the wider employment ecosystem beyond its operating job boards.
Brand decisions
2024
Sale of OCC and Catho holdingsM&ABackground
SEEK reassessed its Latin American portfolio, where its Brazilian expansion had historically been more challenging than some of its other international operations.
Action taken
SEEK sold its holdings in Mexican job board OCC and Brazilian job board Catho to Red Arbor.
Aftermath
The transaction reduced SEEK's direct exposure to Latin American employment websites and concentrated its portfolio more heavily on Australia, New Zealand and Asia-Pacific markets.
2005
Public listing on the ASXOtherBackground
SEEK had developed from an online classifieds start-up into a significant employment marketplace and required a public-company structure for its next phase.
Action taken
The company floated on the Australian Securities Exchange on 18 April 2005.
Aftermath
The listing gave SEEK access to public equity markets and supported its subsequent expansion and investment activities.
Reported market capitalisation at listing. Approximately A$587 million (18 April 2005)
Recent events
Hibob announces $70 million Series B funding[3]
Reported:
Hibob announced $70 million in Series B funding led by SEEK and Israel Growth Partners. The company said the investment would support wider global expansion and further product development.
Seek launches the “This Way Forward” brand platform and campaign[4]
Reported:
Seek launched its “This Way Forward” brand platform, unveiled with a campaign titled “Let’s change the way we look at work.”
Sources4 sources
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