Personnel Staffing Agencies Industry Profile

The US personnel staffing agencies industry includes about 23,000 companies with combined annual revenue of about $160 billion. Major companies include Administaff, Automatic Data Processing, Kelly Services, Manpower, and the US operations of Switzerland-based Adecco. The industry is fragmented: the 50 largest companies generate about 40 percent of industry revenue.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Job growth drives demand for the personnel staffing industry. The profitability of individual companies depends on good marketing and availability of qualified employees. Large companies enjoy economies of scale in marketing and back-office operations. Small companies can compete successfully by specializing in an industry or a job function. The industry is labor-intensive: average annual revenue per worker is about $60,000.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

The industry is divided into three major segments: placement agencies, temporary help services, and professional employer organizations (PEOs). Placement agencies, sometimes referred to as executive recruiters or headhunters, find workers to fill permanent positions at customer companies. These agencies may specialize in placing senior managers, midlevel managers, technical workers, or clerical and other support workers. Temporary help services provide workers for customers for limited periods, often to substitute for absent permanent workers or to help during periods of peak demand. These workers, who are employees of the temporary help agency, will generally fill clerical, technical, or industrial positions. PEOs, sometimes known as employee leasing agencies, contract to provide workers to customers for specific functions, often related to human resource management. In many ...