Key Takeaways
- Staffing agencies save you 50–70% of sourcing and screening time by maintaining pre-vetted talent pools, handling initial interviews, and filtering candidates based on your specific requirements.
- The right agency depends on your industry and role type, Near is best for hiring top talent in Latin America at rates 30–70% below average US salary costs.
- Nearshore staffing delivers cost savings compared to US hires while providing real-time collaboration through aligned time zones, a critical advantage over offshore alternatives.
You've got an open role that needs to be filled yesterday. But recruiting is dragging on for months, your best candidates are demanding salaries you can't justify, and every day the position stays empty means missed deadlines, frustrated clients, or overworked teams picking up the slack.
You're spending hours screening resumes and interviewing candidates who aren't quite right—time you don't have—while watching productivity and morale take a hit.
The best staffing agencies cut through this chaos. They give you access to pre-vetted talent pools, handle the time-consuming screening and initial interviews, and help you fill roles in weeks instead of months.
This guide breaks down 15 top agencies with different specializations, from tech and finance to creative and administrative roles, so you can find the right partner to solve your specific hiring challenges.
Why Should You Use a Staffing Agency?
A staffing agency (sometimes called a recruitment or employment agency) acts as an intermediary between employers and job seekers. It helps companies with staffing needs find suitable candidates through extensive networks and databases.
Using a staffing agency offers a few key advantages:
Access to a larger pool of professionals
Agencies often have vast networks of candidates from which to source, including active job seekers and passive candidates who are open to new career opportunities. This larger talent pool increases your chances of finding the perfect teammate.
Time and cost savings
Recruiting staff can be a time-consuming and expensive process. Staffing agencies handle things like posting job listings, sifting through resumes, and conducting preliminary interviews.
Handing off these initial tasks can save your company significant time and resources. For example, we know by experience that, by assuming responsibility for the majority of the recruitment and staffing process, Near saves companies 50–70% of the time they’d spend before getting to the final round of strong candidates.
Industry expertise
Many staffing agencies specialize in specific sectors and deeply understand those markets. Their breadth of experience can help them find candidates with the exact skill set you need for success.
Reduced risk
When you bring in temporary workers or freelance contractors, you can evaluate their performance and fit before making a long-term commitment. These trial or project-based solutions can help reduce the risks and investments of hiring new employees.
Compliance and administrative relief
Staffing agencies are often responsible for several administrative tasks associated with employment, including:
- Tax forms
- Payroll
- Benefits for remote workers
They also ensure compliance with local labor laws and regulations, reducing your company’s legal exposure.
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What Qualities Should You Look for in a Good Staffing Agency?
When selecting a staffing agency to partner with, it’s important to assess some factors that distinguish a competent and reliable firm. Here are some of the qualities to look for:
Industry expertise
A staffing agency with recruiting experience in your industry should understand the qualifications, skills, and expertise critical to the roles you need to fill. Industry-specific agencies often identify high-caliber candidates who have the advanced skill set needed for your specific position.
Comprehensive and reliable recruitment process
Evaluate the agency’s recruitment pipeline to ensure it has a systematic approach for sourcing, vetting, and placing candidates. It should have thorough candidate assessment procedures that evaluate both technical and soft skills.
Successful track record
Find an agency with a track record of successful placements with past clients.
Although staffing agencies often help fill temporary or contract positions, placements that result in long-term employment are a good sign. High retention rates can indicate an agency’s ability to match candidates with appropriate company cultures.
Ethical practices
A staffing partner should have the same high ethical standards as you, ensuring fairness and equal opportunity for all candidates. Strong business ethics and compliance with employment laws and regulations are non-negotiable.
Questions To Ask When Evaluating a Potential Staffing Firm
Now that you know what factors to consider when choosing a staffing partner, here are five questions that can help you evaluate a staffing firm and determine if they’re a fit:
- What domain experience do you have in my industry?
- Can you describe your recruitment and selection process?
- How do you ensure the quality of your candidates?
- What is your policy on replacements or guarantees?
- How do you manage communication with your clients?
These questions reveal the staffing agency’s capabilities, commitment to service excellence, and overall potential for a successful partnership. Take notes and compare responses from different agencies to make a well-informed choice that aligns with your company’s staffing objectives.
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15 of the Best Staffing Agencies
The companies on this list of 15 staffing agencies have varied specializations and offer different recruitment and staffing services. The list is in no particular order, as each staffing company brings its own unique approach to staffing and recruitment.
We determined this list by reviewing G2 and Clutch profiles, evaluating services offered on company websites, analyzing track records, and comparing pricing transparency across firms.
1. Near
Near (Hire With Near) is a full-service staffing and recruitment agency that helps US companies of all sizes hire high-performing remote talent in Latin America. Near places top talent across all departments for any role that can be done remotely and at all seniority levels, from individual contributors up to the C-suite level.
When you need to fill roles fast while cutting costs by 30–70%, Near gives you access to top pre-vetted, English-fluent professionals who work in your time zone and integrate seamlessly with your team.
Latin American talent offers real-time collaboration advantages that offshore alternatives can't match. Your hires work during US business hours, attend stand-ups and client calls live, and respond immediately when issues arise.
According to Near's 2025 State of LatAm Hiring Report, which analyzed over 1,000 placements, companies save an average of $35,000–$64,000 per hire annually while accessing mid-level and senior professionals who perform like your best US hires.
Near’s key features:
- LatAm specialization: Exclusive focus on Latin American talent with recruiters on the ground who understand the market deeply.
- Speed without shortcuts: Curated video shortlists in 3–5 days, most roles filled in under 3 weeks. What looks fast is really just efficient—we’ve nailed the workflow so you only spend time on candidates who fit.
- Transparent pricing: Clear pricing upfront with no hidden fees. One-time placement fee or monthly staffing fee, and you always know exactly what your hires earn.
- Retention-first approach: 80% of hires stay 2+ years. 180-day replacement guarantee. Pre-vetted talent pool of 45,000+ candidates plus active sourcing beyond the pool.
- Cross-functional hiring: Finance, accounting, sales, marketing, customer support, operations, engineering, design, data, and more. If it can be done remotely, we source for it.
- White-glove service: Same team throughout your growth, one point of contact. 9.1+ client satisfaction score.
Clients like CyberFortress saved $1.2M by building an entire accounting team, while Conversion Logix filled 11 critical roles across departments in 22 days average, saving $781,000 annually.
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2. Adecco
Adecco is one of the world’s largest staffing firms and HR solutions, with a presence in over 60 countries. Known for its ability to provide temporary and permanent employees across a broad spectrum of industries, Adecco merges global reach with local expertise.
It also offers workforce solutions in talent development, outsourcing, and consulting.
3. Randstad
As a global powerhouse in staffing services, Randstad provides temporary, temp-to-perm, and permanent staffing solutions. This Dutch multinational is renowned for its commitment to equitable working arrangements and ensuring the right match between talent and organizations.
Randstad offers specialized staffing for IT, engineering, finance, healthcare, human resources, legal, manufacturing, and logistics.
4. ManpowerGroup
With locations in 75 countries, ManpowerGroup is recognized for its workforce solutions and talent-driven outsourcing services.
Its brands—Manpower, Experis, and Talent Solutions—each cater to different layers of recruitment, connecting client companies with everything from skilled labor to professional roles and high-impact talent.
ManpowerGroup’s comprehensive staffing services encompass a wide range of roles, from office positions to IT, engineering, and finance professionals.
5. Kelly Services
Kelly Services has been a pioneer in the staffing industry since 1946. The company has evolved from primarily offering office staffing services to providing a comprehensive array of workforce solutions worldwide. Kelly also invests in a future of work shaped by technology with specialized staffing strategies.
With a broad service range, Kelly specializes in education, engineering, technology, science, finance, healthcare, law, and communications.
6. Robert Half
Known as one of the leading accounting and finance staffing firms, Robert Half also branches into technology and marketing. It has built a solid reputation for high-quality, professional staffing services.
Robert Half prides itself on its extensive candidate evaluation methods, including its proprietary AI matching technology, which helps ensure a good fit for both the employer and worker.
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7. Kforce
A professional staffing services firm, Kforce provides strategic partnerships in the technology and finance sectors.
With an extensive network of offices and national recruiting centers, Kforce prides itself on having deep industry knowledge and a customer-first approach, helping clients find the right talent and candidates achieve their career goals.
8. Aerotek
Part of Allegis Group, the largest private talent management firm in the world, Aerotek has a global presence and offers a wide range of staffing and recruiting services. With specialized recruiters dedicated to specific sectors, Aerotek is known for delivering skilled candidates who match the precise needs of its clients.
Its industry focus includes engineering, clinical and scientific, industrial, and construction services, providing temporary, temp-to-perm, and direct hiring services.
9. TEKsystems
Specializing in the IT sector, TEKsystems is, like Aerotek, a part of Allegis Group. It excels at fulfilling individual resource needs and comprehensive project solutions. With a deep understanding of the IT field, TEKsystems aims to provide top industry professionals for its clients’ technical needs.
10. Insight Global
Insight Global is known for providing highly specialized staffing services in the area of IT. Aside from staffing and direct hire placements, it provides managed services and culture consulting.
The agency’s commitment to high-touch relationships with consultants and clients helps it deliver on its promises of transformative business success.
While primarily specializing in IT and finance staffing, Insight Global has also evolved to cover government services and healthcare staffing.
11. Spherion
Spherion operates with a strong local focus through its independently owned franchises, which helps it build a deep understanding of local job markets. The company provides opportunities for job seekers in the clerical, administrative, light industrial, and professional sectors.
12. Creative Circle
Creative Circle is a specialized staffing agency that connects companies with advertising, creative, and digital professionals for roles like graphic design.:
- Graphic design
- Copywriting
- Content creation
- User experience (UX) design
It has a finger on the pulse of the creative industry and works with a range of clients, from boutique agencies to Fortune 500 companies.
13. Michael Page
Part of the global conglomerate PageGroup, Michael Page is a professional recruitment firm that has carved out a name in the permanent, contract, and temp recruitment market. It serves many industries and sectors, fostering relationships with an international network of job seekers.
14. CyberCoders
CyberCoders employs proprietary search technology and seasoned recruiters to find skilled candidates for industries where talent is in high demand. Its process emphasizes matching the right person to the right job, ensuring fulfillment and career satisfaction for candidates and employers alike.
While CyberCoders originally focused on tech, it has expanded to provide talent for executive, sales, engineering, healthcare-related, and finance positions.
15. The Judge Group
Founded in 1970, The Judge Group is a professional services firm offering technology consulting, staffing solutions, and corporate training. This company has a record of serving top-tier clients, including many of the Fortune 100.
The Judge Group’s approach combines its deep domain experience with a comprehensive suite of services to meet clients’ needs.
Final Thoughts
The staffing agencies on this list all deliver results. But which one fits your specific situation? That depends on factors only you can assess—your timeline, budget, the roles you need to fill, and how you want the relationship to work.
Here's what actually helps: Talk to three or four firms. Ask about their process, their guarantees, and how they handle situations when placements don't work out. Pay attention to how they respond when you explain your needs. Do they listen, or do they immediately pitch their solution before understanding your challenges?
A good staffing partner should ask as many questions as they answer. They should be candid about what they can and can't do. And they should give you a realistic timeline, not an overly optimistic one designed to close the deal.
The conversation itself tells you a lot. If a firm rushes you, that's how they'll treat the recruitment process. If they're transparent about pricing and process upfront, that's probably how they'll operate throughout your partnership.
Want to start that conversation with us? Schedule a free, no-commitment consultation call with Near.
No commitment required, no aggressive pitch. Just a straightforward discussion about what you're trying to solve and whether we're a good fit to help. If we're not the right match, we'll tell you directly.
The goal isn't to sell you on Near—it's to give you the information you need to make the right decision for your company.
Frequently Asked Question
What are the main benefits of working with Latin American talent through a specialist staffing firm?
Hiring Latin American professionals offers aligned time zones for real-time collaboration and 30–70% cost savings compared to US hires.
Unlike offshore regions like India or the Philippines, LatAm talent works during your business hours, attends live meetings, and responds immediately to urgent requests. Our report on why US companies hire in Latin America explains the reasons behind this increasingly popular hiring strategy.
How much do staffing agency services typically cost
Pricing models vary by agency and placement type. Direct hire placements typically charge 20–35% of the candidate's first-year salary as a one-time fee. Temp-to-perm arrangements often include markup on hourly rates (25–50%) during the temporary period.
Some agencies, like Near, offer flexible models where you choose between a one-time placement fee or monthly service that includes payroll and compliance. The key is understanding what's included and whether upfront fees apply.
What roles should I consider hiring through staffing agencies?
Beyond the obvious administrative, staffing agencies excel at filling specialized roles across departments. If you are hiring for remotes, in our experience any role that can be done remotely we can source for. In finance and accounting, consider financial analysts, controllers, and revenue accountants. For sales and marketing, outbound sales reps, digital marketing managers, and SEO specialists are commonly filled through agencies. Tech roles like software engineers and data analysts also see strong placement success through specialized agencies.






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