Before we list out our list of top temp agencies I’d like to enlighten you about what they’re and what they do, so let’s move ahead to what they are.
What Are Temp Agencies?
Temp agencies are basically staffing agencies that help with recruiting workers for temporary jobs. Job hunters use these agencies to find employment more effectively & efficiently, work flexible schedules, and test out companies or certain career paths. Also, companies call on temp agencies to search, find, and interview quality candidates in a timely fashion.
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Most temp agencies have databases of varying candidates to select from and are always sourcing new ones from time to time. Without temp agencies, all companies would be required to market the job posting, source for and interview the shortlisted candidates themselves. The average taken by companies to fill a vacant position without using an agency is estimated to be 45 days.
Companies can prevent the decrease in productivity and revenue that comes with having vacant positions also saving time and internal resources in the process by using temp agencies.
What Does a Temp Agency Do?
Temp agencies basically does the following on behalf of the companies they work for:
- They advertise the open job role on their agency’s website, job boards, and through email alerts.
- They conducts the background check for candidate and potential employees, which includes both drug tests, and skillset tests to ensure they get the best fit for the role.
- They carry out interviews for potential employees.
- They offers contracts to the potential employee if and when necessary.
- They take care of the payroll and benefits if a candidate is successfully employed.
Some top temp agencies offer additional services like training to help successful candidates brush up on their skills. Their clients would’ve been typically responsible for doing all of those tasks on their own if they didn’t outsource the hiring process to the temp agency. After hiring temp agencies, clients are allowed to be involved in the interview stage or any other stage during the entire hiring process if they do desire. Otherwise, they can leave the entire process from top to bottom to the agency.
What Is the Cost of Using a Temp Agency?
Temp agencies are popularly known to charge their client companies a markup of 20% to 75% of what their temps get paid. For example, if a temp agency pays a temp at the rate of $30 per hour and they charged a 20% fee for their services, the employer will pay the temp agency $36 for each hour the temp works. The whole $36 won’t be going to the temp as the agency gets the $6 as service charge while the employee gets $30 per hour. This fee is widely known to be higher for employers searching for candidates for a more skilled work, higher-ranking positions, or harder-to-find talent.
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The payment is usually made to the agency once the job role is filled. The final price paid by the employer is also dependent on how many candidates are been searched for, how many office locations they’re hiring for, the number of roles been filled, and lastly the duration of the position(s) they’re trying to fill.
It is important to note that some agencies operate on a flat rate basis, meaning that the employer is required to pay a retainer until their vacant position is filled. This fee structure is mostly used by agencies that specialize in high-level talent.
When Should a Company Consider Using a Temp Agency?
In my opinion, temp agencies are the best option if a company is looking to fill any
temporary vacant roles, such as help for short-term projects, seasonal jobs, or even maternity leave stand-ins. They’re also very valuable if you need to fill the vacant position immediately since they shorten the recruitment process immensely.
How We Chose the Best Temp Agencies
We reviewed over 30 different agencies before making our final decision on our top picks. In the course of our reviews, we discovered that many agencies cater to specific job industries and geographical areas. So to come to our final conclusion and choose our top agencies, we took into consideration their areas of strength, speed, specialty, quality of candidates, number of cities served, and feedback from clients as these are the most valuable qualities that both temps and client businesses look for in an agency.
Hiring employees or finding a job can be a lengthy, strenuous and expensive process. Temp agencies were designed to speed up the hiring process for a more positive and impactful experience on both ends. Great temp agencies sources top candidates for vacant roles, conduct background checks, schedule and hold interviews, and take care of payroll and administrative paperwork for all temporary hires as already highlighted earlier in the article.
With the huge number of temp agencies out there to make a choice from, it can be sometimes very difficult to find the best one that suits your company’s unique needs. We researched over 30 temp agencies and evaluated them based on the industries they specialize in, candidate quality, speed and effectiveness, regions served, and client reviews. Here are our top picks.
The 8 Best Temp Agencies of 2021
- The Overall Best: Randstad
- The Runner-Up, Overall Best: Kelly Staffing
- The Best for Lighting Fast Placement: Adecco
- The Best for Engineering Staffing: Esner
- The Best for Healthcare Staffing: AMN Healthcare
- The Best for Creative and Marketing Staffing: Aquent
- The Best for Tech and IT Staffing: TEKsystems
- The Best for Mining Staffing: Andrew Pollard – Mining Recruitment Group
