# 🎯 City Worker Supply Thresholds — Outreach Unlock Plan
*Susan | Wed 26 Feb 2026 | DRAFT — Michael approves execution*
*Links to: worker-acquisition-plan, worker-acquisition-national-plan, contractor-outreach-by-size*

---

## The Rule

**Never email a contractor in a city where we can't deliver workers.**

One bad first experience — contractor signs up, posts a job, sees zero matches — and we've lost them permanently. Worse, they tell 3 mates. Construction is a small world.

Worker supply MUST lead contractor outreach. This plan defines the thresholds.

---

## City Thresholds

| City | Worker Target | Why This Number | Contractor Outreach Unlocks At |
|------|--------------|-----------------|-------------------------------|
| **Sydney** | 25+ workers | Primary market, most contractor leads (20+ in pipeline). Need depth across trades. | 25 workers with ≥3 trades represented |
| **Newcastle** | 15+ workers | Smaller market, fewer contractors. 15 gives enough for first matches. | 15 workers with ≥2 trades represented |
| **Melbourne** | 20+ workers | Large market but Phase 2. Need enough to cover geographic spread. | 20 workers with ≥3 trades represented |

### Trade Mix Requirement
Raw numbers aren't enough. If 25 workers sign up but all are labourers, a contractor looking for a steelfixer sees nothing. Minimum trade mix per city:

| City | Must Have | Nice to Have |
|------|----------|-------------|
| Sydney | Labourers (5+), Formworkers (3+), Steelfixers (3+), Concreters (3+) | Scaffolders, Carpenters, Plant operators |
| Newcastle | Labourers (5+), Formworkers (3+), Concreters (3+) | Steelfixers, Carpenters |
| Melbourne | Labourers (5+), Formworkers (3+), Steelfixers (3+), Concreters (3+) | Scaffolders, Carpenters |

---

## Sydney Timeline (Target: 25+ workers)

### Week 0 — NOW (pre-launch prep)
- [ ] Test worker signup flow end-to-end (Builder — confirm app is ready)
- [ ] Print hostel flyers (6 Sydney hostels — package Herald-reviewed ✅)
- [ ] Generate UTM-tagged QR codes per hostel (Builder — flagged to Rivet)
- [ ] Create "RateRight Workers Sydney" WhatsApp group

### Week 1 — Digital Blitz (Day 1-7)
**Cost: $0 | Expected: 8-12 workers**

| Day | Channel | Action | Est. Signups |
|-----|---------|--------|-------------|
| 1 | Facebook Groups | Post in 5 backpacker/construction groups (templates ready) | 3-5 |
| 1 | Gumtree | Free listing: "Construction Work in Sydney" (template ready) | 1-2 |
| 2 | Backpacker job boards | Post on 3 platforms (templates ready) | 2-3 |
| 3-7 | Repeat + engage | Reply to comments, repost in different groups | 2-3 |

### Week 1 — Hostel Delivery (Day 3-5, Saturday preferred)
**Cost: ~$73 | Expected: 5-8 workers over 2 weeks**

| Hostel | Location | Drop Method |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| YHA Sydney Central | Pitt St, CBD | Hand-deliver flyers + poster. Ask about community board. |
| Wake Up! Sydney | Pitt St, CBD | Same — biggest hostel, highest volume. |
| Base Sydney | Kent St, CBD | Flyers at reception + common area. |
| Bounce Sydney | Chalmers St, Surry Hills | Budget hostel — price-sensitive, our demo. |
| Sydney Backpackers | Cahill Expressway, The Rocks | Tourist-heavy but construction WHV workers too. |
| Maze Backpackers | Pitt St, CBD | Smaller, community-focused. |

**Hostel script for Michael/deliverer:** "G'day — we're RateRight, a construction job platform. Free for workers to sign up. Got flyers for your board? Happy to leave some at reception too."

### Week 2 — Amplify (Day 8-14)
**Cost: $20-50 (optional FB boost) | Expected: 5-10 workers**
- [ ] Boost best-performing Facebook post ($20-50)
- [ ] Create WhatsApp group, share link in hostel WhatsApp groups
- [ ] Reddit posts (r/sydney, r/backpackersAustralia) — organic only
- [ ] Referral program: "Bring a Mate" founding worker badge

### 🔓 UNLOCK CHECK: Day 14
**If ≥25 workers + ≥3 trades → Deploy contractor outreach (email sequence Day 1)**
**If 15-24 workers → Continue digital acquisition, delay contractor emails 1 week**
**If <15 workers → Diagnose conversion funnel. Is signup broken? Are posts reaching people? Escalate to Rivet.**

---

## Newcastle Timeline (Target: 15+ workers)

### Week 1 — Digital Only (Day 1-7)
**Cost: $0 | Expected: 5-8 workers**

| Day | Channel | Action | Est. Signups |
|-----|---------|--------|-------------|
| 1 | Facebook Groups | Post in Newcastle/Hunter construction + backpacker groups | 2-3 |
| 1 | Gumtree Newcastle | Free listing: "Construction Work in Newcastle/Hunter" | 1-2 |
| 3 | Backpacker boards | Post with Newcastle-specific copy | 1-2 |
| 5-7 | Engage + repost | Follow up on comments, share in related groups | 1-2 |

### Week 2 — Hostel + Amplify (Day 8-14)
**Cost: ~$25 (printing) | Expected: 5-8 workers**

| Hostel | Location | Notes |
|--------|----------|-------|
| Newcastle Beach YHA | Pacific St, Newcastle | Prime backpacker hub, beach location |
| Backpackers Newcastle | Hunter St | Budget, construction worker demographic |
| Lucky Hotel (backpacker wing) | Hunter St | Pub + hostel combo, social hub |

**Newcastle-specific messaging:** "Construction is booming from the city to the Hunter Valley. Get on a site this week."

### 🔓 UNLOCK CHECK: Day 14
**If ≥15 workers + ≥2 trades → Deploy contractor outreach (Link Contractors, Allform first)**
**If 8-14 workers → One more week digital push**
**If <8 workers → Consider Newcastle isn't ready. Focus Sydney.**

---

## Melbourne Timeline (Target: 20+ workers)

### Phase 2 — Starts Week 2 of Sydney launch
**Cost: ~$35 (printing) | Expected: 10-15 workers in first 2 weeks**

### Week 2-3 — Digital + Hostel
| Day | Channel | Action | Est. Signups |
|-----|---------|--------|-------------|
| 1 | Facebook Groups | Melbourne backpacker + construction groups | 3-5 |
| 1 | Gumtree Melbourne | Free listing | 1-2 |
| 3 | Backpacker boards | Melbourne-specific copy | 2-3 |
| 5 | Hostel delivery | 5 hostels (list in national plan) | 4-6 over 2 weeks |

**Melbourne hostels (from national plan):**
| Hostel | Location |
|--------|----------|
| YHA Melbourne Central | Flinders St |
| Melbourne City Backpackers | Little Collins St |
| Nomads St Kilda | Grey St, St Kilda |
| Landing Pads Brunswick | Sydney Rd |
| The Barkly | St Kilda |

**Melbourne-specific messaging:** "Victoria's construction market is shifting — hipages just lost tradies there. New way to find work: rated, direct, free for workers."

### 🔓 UNLOCK CHECK: Week 4
**If ≥20 workers + ≥3 trades → Deploy contractor outreach**
**If 12-19 → One more week**
**If <12 → Pause Melbourne. Focus Sydney/Newcastle.**

---

## Measurement Framework

### Weekly Supply Dashboard (Susan generates every Monday)

```
CITY SUPPLY REPORT — Week of [date]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Sydney:    [X] workers / 25 target  [██████░░░░] [X]%
Newcastle: [X] workers / 15 target  [████░░░░░░] [X]%
Melbourne: [X] workers / 20 target  [███░░░░░░░] [X]%

Trade breakdown:
  Labourers:    Syd [X] | Ncl [X] | Mel [X]
  Formworkers:  Syd [X] | Ncl [X] | Mel [X]
  Steelfixers:  Syd [X] | Ncl [X] | Mel [X]
  Concreters:   Syd [X] | Ncl [X] | Mel [X]
  Other:        Syd [X] | Ncl [X] | Mel [X]

Unlock status:
  Sydney:    [LOCKED/UNLOCKED] — [X] workers needed
  Newcastle: [LOCKED/UNLOCKED] — [X] workers needed
  Melbourne: [LOCKED/UNLOCKED] — [X] workers needed

Top channel this week: [Facebook/Gumtree/Hostel/Referral]
Cost per signup: $[X]
```

### Key Metrics to Track
| Metric | Target | How |
|--------|--------|-----|
| Signups per week per city | 10+ | UTM tags per channel |
| Signup completion rate | >70% | Builder tracks in app |
| Trade diversity (trades per city) | 3+ | CRM/app data |
| Time to first match | <72 hours | From worker signup to first job match |
| Channel CAC | <$15/worker | Cost ÷ signups per channel |
| Hostel conversion | 5-10% of flyers | Unique QR scans per hostel |

---

## Blockers (Current)

| Blocker | Owner | Status | Impact |
|---------|-------|--------|--------|
| Worker signup flow tested? | Builder | Unknown | Can't send anyone to sign up until confirmed |
| UTM-tagged QR codes per hostel | Builder | Flagged to Rivet | Can't measure hostel ROI without these |
| Post-hire comms bug | Builder | Unknown | One bad experience poisons a hostel permanently |
| Flyer printing | Michael | Not started | Need to print before Saturday hostel delivery |
| PI insurance | Harper/Michael | Outstanding | May limit what we can promise |

**Biggest risk:** Sending workers to sign up before the flow is tested. One broken page = wasted hostel flyers + bad word of mouth.

---

## Decision Points for Michael

1. **When to start?** Digital blitz can go Day 1 of launch ($0). Hostel delivery needs printing (1-2 day lead time).
2. **Sydney first or simultaneous?** Recommend Sydney + Newcastle simultaneous (digital is $0), Melbourne Week 2.
3. **Budget for FB boosts?** $50 per city per week enough to test. Only boost proven posts.
4. **WhatsApp group management?** Who monitors it? Susan can draft messages, Michael or a human needs to be the face.

---

*References:*
- *Full Sydney plan: `susan/drafts/worker-acquisition-plan-sydney-2026-02-26.md`*
- *National hostel plan: `susan/drafts/worker-acquisition-national-plan-2026-02-26.md`*
- *Hostel flyer package: `susan/drafts/hostel-direct-mail-package-2026-02-26.md`*
- *Contractor outreach triggers: `susan/drafts/contractor-outreach-by-size-2026-02-26.md`*