Recruitment Agency's Vs. Temp Agency's: Are There Any Differences?

Are you one of the majority of hiring managers who plan to increase the utilization of staffing firms in the next five years? If so, then learning the differences between a recruitment and a temp agency will come in handy. When it comes to finding the next employment opportunities or fulfilling staffing needs, seeking assistance from recruitment and temp agencies is the go-to solution for many. Essentially, both companies share the same goals of offering jobs to job seekers and filling the employment gaps in a company with suitable candidates. However, despite these common qualities, recruitment and temp agencies have distinct differences that are worth understanding.  

If you are wondering about the differences between recruitment and temp agencies, you are certainly not alone, and we are here to answer your questions. Today, we help clarify what recruitment and temp agencies are and, more importantly, their differences. 

What Is a Recruitment Agency?

A recruitment agency helps businesses look for candidates to fill various temporary and permanent positions. It handles all necessary recruitment processes, such as advertising, screening, interviewing, and background checks. With a recruitment agency's help, companies can optimize their hiring processes, shorten hiring cycles, and save costs. Companies can also ensure that they are hiring well-suited candidates and avoid making hiring mistakes or falling into high staff turnover. 

Besides their partner companies, recruitment companies also help job seekers find relevant employment opportunities that align with their qualifications. By seeking a recruitment agency's assistance, an applicant can secure an opportunity faster and land a job that they are interested in. Furthermore, they can stay away from fraudulent job offers that are misleading and can possibly put them in problematic circumstances. 

What Is a Temp Agency?

If you're looking for temporary or part-time work, a temp agency can be a valuable resource. A temporary agency—commonly called a temp agency—is a kind of staffing agency that offers short-term employment opportunities. These short-term opportunities include part-time jobs, seasonal work, and contractual gigs. 

Since temp agencies specialize in temporary job offerings, partnering with them is a practical choice if a company needs to fill its staffing needs without having to commit to long-term contracts. Another benefit of using a temp agency for a company is that it offers quick access to a pool of candidates who are available for immediate assignments, making the hiring process faster and nearly effortless. Companies can also feel confident about their hires because the temp agency’s selected candidates are already pre-screened. This means that they have already gone through the necessary employment processes and have passed the qualifications for the job offer. 

In addition to companies, applicants can benefit from temp agencies as they can easily find secure and flexible temporary work arrangements without having to apply for multiple companies. Depending on the temp agency, the applicant may only have to sign up, get screened, and wait for potential employment. 

Recruitment Agency's Vs. Temp Agency's

While it is undeniable that both recruitment and temp agencies provide valuable support in finding and hiring the right candidates for a job, they have differences that are worth considering before making a choice between the two. Below, we'll take a look at the differences between recruitment agencies and temp agencies in more detail. 

Job Opportunities 

Recruitment agencies specialize in offering permanent job opportunities. However, some may also offer temporary job recommendations. They may also offer "temp to permanent" job arrangements, which aim to evaluate a candidate’s skills first before giving them a permanent role. 

On the other hand, temp agencies are focused on providing temporary and flexible work assignments. The job opportunities in temp agencies are typically for specific projects, seasonal work, or to cover employee absences only.

Job Duration  

Recruitment agencies predominantly facilitate placements for permanent job positions with no predetermined end date. This provides job seekers with long-term employment and career growth. Meanwhile, temp agencies specialize in arranging temporary or short-term job assignments, often spanning from a few days to several months.  

Applicant Expectations

Individuals who opt for the services of a recruitment agency are usually looking for stable, long-term career opportunities. On the other hand, those who work with a temp agency tend to prioritize flexibility so they can fulfill their other engagements or responsibilities without being locked in to one position.

Charges

Both recruitment and temp agencies spend money on advertising, marketing, employee screening, and other necessary hiring processes. However, they can vary on how and how much they charge for their services. In most cases, recruitment agencies charge either a flat fee or a percentage of the hired candidate's first-year salary, or a combination of the two. On the other hand, temp agencies typically charge hourly rates for the temporary workers they provide. 

Which Is Better?

The answer to which is better between a recruitment or temp agency depends on one's goals, preferences, as well as circumstances. As we have discussed above, both recruitment and temp agencies act as intermediaries for companies and job seekers. However, they vary depending on job opportunities, job duration, applicant expectations, and charges. 

If you are a company owner looking for direct hires or an applicant seeking stable, long-term employment in a specialized field, a recruitment agency might be more suitable. However, if you run a firm in need of immediate or temporary staff solutions or a job seeker prioritizing flexibility and wanting to gain diverse experiences in many industries, a temp agency is certainly worth considering. 

Discover an App Especially Designed for Staffing Agencies

Whether you work for a recruitment or temp agency, StaffConnect is a business management software that can help you in building a more progressive workplace. 

StaffConnect is an employee management software designed to cater to your business and staff management needs. It is equipped with helpful features such as custom white label branding, calendar integration, GPS check-in and out, payroll, and a lot more. Our app is optimized to streamline tasks and automate processes, enabling you to save time and costs while boosting your company’s efficiency and productivity.

Do you want to learn more about how StaffConnect can help you? Check out this article on how we work with temp staffing agencies for more details. You may also try StaffConnect for free today and see the difference it can make for your agency through this link.