Top Staffing and Recruiting Agencies in San Francisco

If you’re looking for a staffing or recruiting partner in San Francisco, you already know the challenge: there are dozens of firms to evaluate and very little time to do it.

This list gives you a starting point. Ten companies worth a closer look, across different specializations and service models.

We determined this list by looking at third-party review sites (G2, Clutch, and ClearlyRated), requiring a minimum of 100 verified reviews on at least one recognized platform, and evaluating each company’s services and relevance to San Francisco businesses.

A note on bias: Near is on this list, and we wrote it. We’ve represented every company fairly, but you should factor that in. But our goal is to give you a useful starting point, not a sales pitch.

Quick Comparison of Staffing and Recruiting Agencies in San Francisco

Top Staffing and Recruiting Agencies for Businesses in San Francisco

Top Los Angeles Staffing and Recruitment Companies

The companies below are listed in no particular order. No ranking is implied—each firm has met a verified review threshold on a recognized third-party platform. 

All can help you find and hire qualified candidates. What differs is specialization, service model, and how they work. 

Here’s what you need to know about each.

Near (Hire With Near)

Website: hirewithnear.com

Headquarters: Austin, TX (serves San Francisco businesses remotely)

Rating: 4.9/5 on G2 (115+ reviews) as of February 2026

Services: Permanent recruiting, direct hire, RPO, Employer of Record (EoR), payroll & compliance

Near is a staffing and recruiting agency that helps US businesses hire high-performing remote professionals in Latin America. We don’t have a physical office in San Francisco, but San Francisco is one of the cities where we have the most clients.

We’re different from most firms on this list in one meaningful way: every professional we place works remotely from Latin America (in a time zone close to Pacific).

LatAm compensation rates differ significantly from US rates, so our clients typically save 30–70% compared to equivalent San Francisco-based hires, without sacrificing the quality of talent.

We take time to understand your company culture before we start recruiting, screen candidates for communication and cultural fit, and present curated shortlists rather than piles of resumes. Our clients often tell us the hardest part is choosing between the great candidates we present.

Key features:

• Remote-first model: We place Latin American professionals who work exclusively for your company, in or close to your time zone, as permanent team members
• Cross-functional coverage: Finance and accounting, sales and marketing, operations and customer support, engineering, and more. We place candidates for any role that can be done remotely. And 84% of our placements are mid-level to senior.
• White-glove process: Dedicated recruiters learn your company culture, deliver shortlists in 3–5 days, and back every placement with a 180-day guarantee

Client experience: “The talent Near provided is incredibly high quality. I worked at Google for 10 years, where the bar for talent is very high, and I would say the people I placed through Near are comparable to the people I worked with at Google.” — Ashley Black, Founder, Candid Consulting

Best for: San Francisco companies open to remote hiring who want A-players at 30–70% below US salary rates, with a full-service partner handling everything from sourcing through to payroll.

Scion Staffing

Website: scionstaffing.com

Headquarters: San Francisco, CA (576 Sacramento Street, Suite 200)

Rating: 4.7/5 on ClearlyRated as of February 2026

Services: Temporary staffing, contract-to-hire, direct hire, executive search, retained search

Scion Staffing is an SF-headquartered award-winning staffing and executive search firm with 16 locations nationally. It serves tech companies, corporations, and nonprofits across the Bay Area, with specializations in IT/engineering, marketing, sales, and nonprofit administration.

Scion has won the ClearlyRated Best of Staffing award six consecutive years (2020–2025) and is recognized by Forbes as a Best Executive Recruiting Firm.

Key features:

• Nonprofit specialization: One of the few firms in SF with a dedicated practice for nonprofit organizations and mission-driven hiring
• Local market depth: SF-headquartered with 15+ consecutive years recognized by San Francisco Business Times as a top staffing firm
• Full placement spectrum: Supports temp, contract-to-hire, direct hire, and executive-level retained search under one roof

Client experience: “Scion cared deeply about our needs, our history, and our culture.” — Client (ClearlyRated)

Best for: SF Bay Area companies and nonprofits looking for a locally rooted firm with deep Bay Area market knowledge for tech, marketing, administrative, or nonprofit roles.

Beacon Hill

Website: beaconhillstaffing.com

Headquarters: Boston, MA (with offices at 101 Montgomery St and 425 Market St, San Francisco, CA)

Rating: 4.9/5 on ClearlyRated (SF location, Best of Staffing 2025)

Services: Direct hire, executive search, temporary staffing, contract-to-hire, consulting, MSP, RPO

Beacon Hill is a national specialty staffing firm with 1,400+ recruiters organized into 10 specialty divisions. Its SF offices serve Bay Area businesses across legal, life sciences, finance, technology, HR, healthcare, government, and administrative functions.

The SF location earned ClearlyRated Best of Staffing 2025 recognition specifically, reflecting above-average client satisfaction scores at the local level.

Key features:

• 10 specialty divisions: Legal, Life Sciences, Finance, Technology, HR, Healthcare, Government, Administrative, Digital & Creative, and National Security
• Dual SF presence: Two San Francisco offices covering the Financial District and downtown, with specialist recruiters in each division
• Full engagement model: Covers individual placements through MSP and RPO programs for larger-scale hiring needs

Client experience: “The staff at Beacon Hill are top-notch! They are always available and provide superior assistance.” — Client (ClearlyRated)

Best for: SF Bay Area businesses needing specialist-led recruiting in legal, life sciences, finance, technology, or government sectors.

Insight Global

Website: insightglobal.com

Headquarters: Atlanta, GA (with office in San Francisco, CA)

Rating: 4.6/5 on ClearlyRated (528 verified reviews) as of February 2026

Services: Contract staffing, contract-to-hire, direct hire, permanent placement

Insight Global is one of the largest staffing firms in North America, with 68 offices including San Francisco. It has 528 verified client reviews on ClearlyRated and specializes in IT, engineering, finance, accounting, government, and healthcare staffing. It won ClearlyRated Best of Staffing 2025.

Key features:

• High review volume: 528 verified ClearlyRated client reviews provides substantial third-party social proof
• Staffing breadth: Covers IT, engineering, finance, accounting, government, and healthcare across contract and permanent models
• National scale: 68 offices with local SF presence and established Bay Area relationships

Best for: SF tech and finance companies needing contract or direct hire IT, engineering, and finance talent at scale.

Instawork

Website: instawork.com

Headquarters: San Francisco, CA

Rating: 4.6/5 on App Store (233+ reviews across clients and talent) as of February 2026

Services: On-demand temporary staffing, long-term temporary workers, permanent hiring

Instawork is an AI-powered staffing platform headquartered in San Francisco, connecting businesses with vetted workers for on-demand shifts and longer-term assignments.

It specializes in hospitality, warehousing, retail, and events. Post a shift and it can be filled within hours. The platform uses work history, skills, and post-shift ratings to match the right worker to each job.

Key features:

• On-demand model: Shifts can be filled within hours of posting using AI-powered worker matching
• Quality controls: Workers are rated after every shift, creating a reliability data layer that improves future matches
• Flexible workforce solutions: Supports one-time shifts, recurring schedules, and pathways to permanent hire

Client experience: “Having Instawork means we can say yes to new opportunities and know we have the team behind us.” — Client (Instawork website)

Best for: SF Bay Area businesses in hospitality, events, warehousing, and retail that need reliable hourly workers fast.

Apex Systems

Website: apexsystems.com

Headquarters: Glen Allen, VA (with office at 351 California Street, Suite 800, San Francisco, CA)

Rating: 4.8/5 on ClearlyRated (783 verified reviews) as of February 2026

Services: IT staffing, technology consulting, engineering staffing, contract staffing, direct hire, staff augmentation, managed services

Apex Systems is one of the largest technology staffing and services firms in the US, part of publicly traded ASGN Inc. 

With 783 verified ClearlyRated client reviews—the most of any firm on this list—and 73 offices including a San Francisco location at 351 California Street, it serves technology, engineering, and government clients with contract, direct hire, and managed solutions.

Key features:

• Technology and engineering focus: Deep specialization in IT, engineering, and technology consulting well-suited to SF’s tech ecosystem
• Managed services capability: Goes beyond staffing with technology services and project-based solutions
• National scale with local SF presence: 73 offices with an established San Francisco office for local account management

Best for: SF tech companies needing IT, engineering, or technology consulting talent with a firm that has the scale and verified reviews to back it up.

Aerotek

Website: aerotek.com

Headquarters: Hanover, MD (with office in South San Francisco, CA)

Rating: 4.5/5 on ClearlyRated (Best of Staffing 2025, 241+ locations)

Services: Contract staffing, contract-to-hire, direct hire, workforce management

Aerotek is one of the most recognized names in engineering and manufacturing staffing, part of Allegis Group — one of the world’s largest staffing organizations. 

Its South San Francisco office is well-positioned for the Bay Area’s biotech corridor and engineering sector. It specializes in engineering, manufacturing, life sciences, energy, and aerospace across contract and permanent models.

Key features:

• Life sciences and biotech expertise: South San Francisco office strategically positioned for the Bay Area’s biotech and pharmaceutical cluster
• Engineering and manufacturing specialization: Deep focus on technical roles in engineering, energy, and aerospace that generalist firms often underserve
• Allegis Group backing: Part of one of the world’s largest staffing organizations, providing significant resources and national reach

Best for: SF Bay Area companies in biotech, life sciences, engineering, manufacturing, or energy needing contract or permanent technical talent.

TEKsystems

Website: teksystems.com

Headquarters: Hanover, MD (with offices at 221 Main St Suite 200, San Francisco; San Jose; and Walnut Creek, CA)

Rating: ClearlyRated Best of Staffing 2025 (103+ locations nationally)

Services: IT staffing, technology staffing, contract staffing, direct hire, managed services, IT consulting

TEKsystems is one of North America’s largest IT and engineering staffing and services firms, also part of Allegis Group.

With multiple Bay Area offices — San Francisco, San Jose, and Walnut Creek — and 80%+ of Fortune 500 companies among its clients, it has deep enterprise roots in the region. It covers IT, engineering, marketing, and operations for contract and permanent needs.

Key features:

• Enterprise reach: Serves over 80% of Fortune 500 companies, with well-established relationships in the Bay Area’s large tech and enterprise employers
• Multi-location Bay Area coverage: Three Bay Area offices (SF, San Jose, Walnut Creek) serving the full tech corridor
• IT services beyond staffing: Managed services and consulting engagements for longer-term technology projects

Best for: SF Bay Area enterprise and Fortune 500 companies seeking IT, engineering, and technology staffing and managed services.

INSPYR Solutions

Website: inspyrsolutions.com

Headquarters: Fort Lauderdale, FL (with office in San Francisco, CA)

Rating: ClearlyRated Best of Staffing Diamond Award — 9 consecutive Client wins, 16 consecutive Talent wins (2026)

Services: IT staffing, technology solutions, contract staffing, project consulting, managed services, direct hire, business operations staffing

INSPYR Solutions is a national technology and talent solutions firm ranked #26 among the largest IT staffing firms in the US by SIA, with $303M in 2024 IT staffing revenue.

Its ClearlyRated track record is one of the strongest in the industry: 9 consecutive Best of Staffing Client wins and 16 consecutive Talent wins. Its SF office covers IT, engineering, and business operations staffing.

Key features:

• Exceptional service consistency: 9 consecutive ClearlyRated Best of Staffing Client wins — among the strongest consecutive streaks of any firm on this list
• Technology and operations breadth: Covers IT/engineering plus business operations roles including finance, HR, marketing, logistics, and legal
• Project and consulting solutions: Offers both individual placements and project-based consulting engagements

Client experience: “The account team is engaging and seeks continuous feedback to ensure they exceed expectations.” — Hiring Manager (INSPYR Solutions website)

Best for: SF Bay Area companies seeking a technology and business operations staffing partner with a consistently proven service quality track record.

Cella by Randstad Digital

Website: cellainc.com

Headquarters: Metro Washington, DC (with office in San Francisco, CA)

Rating: ClearlyRated Best of Staffing 15-Year Diamond Award (17 consecutive years, 2026)

Services: Temporary staffing, contract staffing, temp-to-hire, direct hire, executive search, managed in-house agency solutions, consulting

Cella by Randstad Digital is a leading staffing and consulting firm for marketing, creative, and digital talent in the US.

Its San Francisco office specializes in placing digital marketing managers, UX designers, creative directors, content strategists, and marketing operations professionals.

Cella has won ClearlyRated Best of Staffing for 17 consecutive years—the only creative staffing firm to achieve this.

Key features:

• Deep creative and marketing niche: 40 years of specialization in marketing, creative, and digital roles — this is all they do
• Managed in-house agency solutions: Can build and manage entire in-house creative departments, not just fill individual roles
• Martech and digital consulting: Staffing and consulting services for marketing technology implementations and digital transformation

Client experience: “Cella understands our needs as creatives and has been able to provide us with the highest quality resources.” — Client (ClearlyRated)

Best for: SF Bay Area companies building marketing, creative, or digital teams — from individual freelance hires to full in-house creative agency buildouts.

Final Thoughts

Every firm on this list can get you to a qualified hire. The question is which one fits how you like to work, what you’re hiring for, and what matters most to your business.

If you need on-site hourly workers fast, Instawork is built for that. If you’re in biotech or engineering, Aerotek knows that world well.

If you’re building a marketing team, Cella has 40 years in that niche. And if you’re open to remote talent, we think Latin America offers some of the best value available—quality professionals, US time zones, and significant cost savings.

The best way to figure out which firm fits your needs is to get on a call and ask direct questions.

We think you should talk to a few, including us, of course.

In a 20-minute call with Near, you’ll know exactly how we work, what our fees are, and what talent in Latin America looks like for your roles. No pressure. Just straight answers.

Schedule a free, 20-minute consultation call. 

Then talk to whoever else is on your list. The right partner is the one whose process, pricing, and people fit how you work.

Need recruiting help in another city? See our listings for:

• Top Staffing and Recruiting Agencies in New York City
• Top Staffing and Recruiting Agencies in Houston, TX
• Top Staffing and Recruiting Agencies in Los Angeles
• Top Staffing and Recruiting Agencies in Miami