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.

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09/10/26

The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Everyday Life

The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Everyday Life

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way people interact with technology, making everyday tasks more efficient and personalized. From voice ass...

03/08/26

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28/07/26

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28/07/26

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28/07/26

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

16/07/26

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

16/07/26

Spend Vs Income - Procurement Report

Spend Vs Income - Procurement Report

The relationship between procurement spend exposure and salary positioning is often assumed to be relatively straightforward. Larger spend categories shoul...

12/06/26

Assessment of Australian Dollar Purchasing Power, Trade Channels, and Geopolitical Risk

Assessment of Australian Dollar Purchasing Power, Trade Channels, and Geopolitical Risk

The evaluation of international trade dynamics and corporate financial planning relies fundamentally on the stability and accuracy of economic calculation ...

09/06/26

Agriculture & Global Trade Overview

Agriculture & Global Trade Overview

Global trade relies heavily on a delicate balance of bulk shipping, input chemical costs, and geographic supply constraints. An analysis of data from SKILL...

03/06/26

The Liquidity Mirage: A Macroeconomic Deconstruction of the Australian Industrial Landscape

The Liquidity Mirage: A Macroeconomic Deconstruction of the Australian Industrial Landscape

If we strip away the veneer of aggregate macroeconomic metrics, the uncomfortable truth regarding the Australian industrial landscape is that the perceived...

28/05/26

Labour Market Macro Conditions - May 20206

Labour Market Macro Conditions - May 20206

The current state of the Australian labour market presents a distinct operational challenge for executive leadership. The imbalance between escalating inpu...

27/05/26

The Reset of Global Supply Chains

The Reset of Global Supply Chains

For Australia, the movements across plastics, chemicals, agriculture inputs and building materials are beginning to look less like a normal commodity cycle...

22/05/26

Global Commodities Overlay with BDI & WCI Index

Global Commodities Overlay with BDI & WCI Index

If we start with money because everything else hangs off it, gold has moved from roughly 1,176 to over 1,723 within SKILLSOOP’s index, with an average sitt...

20/05/26

SKILLSOOP Survey - Navigating Sovereign Risk, Agentic AI, and Mandatory Due Diligence

SKILLSOOP Survey - Navigating Sovereign Risk, Agentic AI, and Mandatory Due Diligence

Our recent SKILLSOOP Survey indicates a clear shift away from old-school, isolated cost-cutting exercises toward real strategic resilience. With heavier re...

19/05/26

Market Illusion Vs Reality

Market Illusion Vs Reality

The Australian financial landscape is currently caught in a strange paradox where the excitement on the stock market doesn't quite match the reality of the...

13/05/26

SKILLSOOP Procurement Market Report - April 2026

SKILLSOOP Procurement Market Report - April 2026

There is a tendency at the moment to look at Australia’s labour market and interpret it as strength. Employment is steady, vacancies remain elevated, and w...

30/04/26

The Great Australian Extraction: How Policy is Cannibalising the Future

The Great Australian Extraction: How Policy is Cannibalising the Future

The great Australian dream used to be a simple, three-step program: get a job, buy a house, and pay it off before you start greying at the temples so you c...

24/04/26

April’s Signal: A Global System Losing Its Shock Absorbers

April’s Signal: A Global System Losing Its Shock Absorbers

If we zoom out from the individual headlines and look at April as a whole, it stops feeling like a run of bad luck or a string of isolated failures. Someth...

22/04/26

Economic Feint

Economic Feint

What Australia is looking at here isn’t a healthy expansion that’s just a bit uneven around the edges, it’s an economy that’s putting capital to work, but ...

21/04/26

A Quiet Shift in Where Power Actually Lives

A Quiet Shift in Where Power Actually Lives

What makes the current moment feel unsettled isn’t just politics, inflation, or even conflict. Those pressures are all real and significant. It’s something...

16/04/26

Supply Chain Resilience Survey – Impact of Strait of Hormuz Closure – SKILLSOOP Report

Supply Chain Resilience Survey – Impact of Strait of Hormuz Closure – SKILLSOOP Report

The Iran conflict is a key topic right now, cutting across politics, society, and business risk. It increasingly feels like the US president is operating a...

16/04/26

When Demand No Longer Matters: The Structural Breakdown of Australia’s Supply Response

When Demand No Longer Matters: The Structural Breakdown of Australia’s Supply Response

The historical relationship between demand and supply in the Australian economy has long been treated as something close to mechanical. New orders would ri...

31/03/26

The State of Procurement in 2026: A Systemic Analysis of Structural Hurdles and Strategic Gaps

The State of Procurement in 2026: A Systemic Analysis of Structural Hurdles and Strategic Gaps

SKILLSOOP would like to thank all the procurement professionals who contributed to the data in this report. Without you, we would not have access to such d...

30/03/26

Economic Turbulence: A Global Overview

Economic Turbulence: A Global Overview

In recent weeks, a series of drastic economic measures have emerged from various countries grappling with mounting financial pressures. This report examine...

30/03/26

2026 Australian Supply Chain Crisis

2026 Australian Supply Chain Crisis

Australia finds itself at a critical juncture, buffeted by a true “black swan” energy event that has reshaped the logistics and distribution landscape. The...

26/03/26

Liquidity Trade Correlation & Risk

Liquidity Trade Correlation & Risk

The Australian economy has transitioned from a period of resource-led prosperity into a more precarious landscape, defined by high leverage and heightened ...

23/03/26

SKILLSOOP Supply Chain News - CUBA Oil Crisis & Helium Supply Shocks

SKILLSOOP Supply Chain News - CUBA Oil Crisis & Helium Supply Shocks

CUBA Distress – Oil Crisis Continues on Trumps MandateCuba has once again been plunged into a nationwide energy crisis, with a total collapse of electricit...

22/03/26

Australia’s Monetary Evolution: A Narrative of Liquidity and Resilience

Australia’s Monetary Evolution: A Narrative of Liquidity and Resilience

Australia’s money supply over the past two decades presents a powerful narrative of liquidity cycles, policy intervention, and the structural transformatio...

19/03/26

Australian Prices - Inflation Nation

Australian Prices - Inflation Nation

SKILLSOOP have evaluated our data on the Australian economy, especially our prices section as of March 2026, examining the interconnectedness of inflationa...

19/03/26