Staffing Services Industry Profile

The US personnel staffing agencies industry includes about 32,000 companies with combined annual revenue of about $215 billion. Major companies include ADP TotalSource, Insperity, Kelly Services, Manpower, and the US operations of Adecco. The industry is fragmented: the 50 largest companies generate about 40 percent of industry revenue.

The global staffing services industry generates about $280 billion in annual revenue, according to the International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies. Major staffing services providers based outside the US are Adecco (Switzerland) and Randstad (the Netherlands). Large staffing services markets include the EU, the US, Japan, and the UK.

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 $80,000.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

The industry is divided into three major segments: temporary help services (about 50 percent of industry revenue), professional employer organizations (about 40 percent), and placement agencies (about 10 percent). 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. Professional employer organizations ...