8 Top Benefits Your Company Reaps by Working with a Staffing Agency

U.S. companies, many which are struggling in 2023 to hire workers for open jobs, are increasingly turning to staffing agencies to help streamline the recruitment process, save time and money, and find the right candidate.

“We hear every day from our member companies—of every size and industry, across nearly every state—they’re facing unprecedented challenges trying to find enough workers to fill open jobs. Right now, the latest data shows that we have over 10 million job openings in the U.S.—but only 5.7 million unemployed workers,” said Stephanie Ferguson, director, global employment policy & special initiatives, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “We have a lot of jobs, but not enough workers to fill them. If every unemployed person in the country found a job, we would still have 4 million open jobs.”

Companies are finding staffing agencies to be valuable resources as they seek ways to fill open spots efficiently while reducing risk.

“Leaders and managers of businesses and other organizations often struggle to fill certain positions,” wrote Samuel Robert in Money magazine. “Applicants who did well during the application process can turn out to be the wrong fit for the job, or you may not have the time or resources to fill a role properly. If you're facing recruitment challenges in this job seeker’s market, you might need the help of a staffing agency.”

Understanding the Role of Staffing Agencies

Staffing agencies work as intermediaries between companies and job seekers. They specialize in finding qualified skilled candidates to fill temporary or long-term positions in a variety of industries and fields.

Here's how staffing agencies typically work for companies:

• Initial Consultation: The staffing agency will schedule an initial consultation with the company to discuss their staffing needs and requirements. This will help the agency understand the company's culture, values, and expectations.
• Job Posting: The staffing agency will then create a job posting for the position(s) that need to be filled. They will use their networks and resources to advertise the job posting to attract potential candidates.
• Candidate Screening: The staffing agency will screen resumes and applications, conduct interviews, and perform background and reference checks to ensure that candidates meet the company's requirements and expectations.
• Candidate Selection: The staffing agency will provide a shortlist of qualified candidates to the company for consideration. The company will then select the candidates they want to interview and potentially hire.
• Onboarding: Once a candidate is selected, the staffing agency will handle the onboarding process, including paperwork, training, and orientation.
• Ongoing Support: The staffing agency will provide ongoing support to the company and the employee throughout the hiring process, including regular check-ins, performance evaluations, and addressing any concerns or issues that may arise.

Staffing agencies typically charge a fee for their services, which can vary depending on the type and duration of the position. However, the cost of using a staffing agency can be offset by the time and money saved in recruiting, hiring, and training employees.

8 Reasons Your Company Should Work with a Staffing Agency

The American Staffing Association says that around 3 million temporary and contract employees work for America’s staffing companies during an average week with some 16 million such employees hired yearly.

The companies that work with staffing agencies realize many benefits, including these 8:

1. Saving Time: Using a staffing agency creates  a quicker process for filling open jobs as the company you work with will handle the time-consuming tasks such as recruiting, screening, and interviewing candidates. By outsourcing these activities, your employees can focus on other priorities. The time spent internally on recruiting a single staff member can take weeks, or even months. Even after a qualified candidate is located, time is needed to handle things such as background checks, drug screening if mandated, contract writing, and HR onboarding. Staffing agencies can alleviate companies from many of these tasks, freeing up your team to focus on business operations. Since staffing agencies have expertise in finding skilled candidates, they can fill your open jobs in a quicker fashion, thus increasing productivity.
2. Reduce Risks: Staffing agencies take on the responsibilities and legal liabilities associated with employment recruiting, reducing the risk for your company. The staffing agency will handle compliance issues such as insurance and benefits to make sure they meet local, state, and federal guidelines.
3. Better Flexibility: Staffing agencies can help your company fill the need for short-term staff. This flexibility allows your company to adjust its workforce as needed, without incurring the costs of recruiting and hiring permanent employees. Staffing agencies can provide hirs for temporary positions, temporary-to-permanent positions, and permanent positions.
4. Connect to Talent and Skilled Staff: Staffing agencies have access to a large pool of talent and skilled workers, which can make it easier for your company to find the right person for your open position. Many staffing agencies focus on specific sectors -- such as PRT Staffing’s focus on providing skilled workers to the construction, industrial and energy, manufacturing, hospitality and events, and disaster recovery sectors – allowing them to access specialized talent.
5. Saving Money: Many companies in 2023 are looking for ways to reduce costs in anticipation of a possible recession and using a staffing agency can help your company save money and reduce costs associated with hiring such as advertising, job board fees, background checks, pre-employment testing, and benefits. Companies can also reap savings from using staffing agencies by improving their retention rates and reducing employee turnover.
6. Improved Candidate Experience: If the focus is on the benefits to your company when working with a staffing agency, then why is improved candidate experience important? Because improved candidate experience by working with a staffing agency will lead to improved retention for your company as candidates are found that fit for your company culture. Even though candidates that do not sign on to work with your company will come away with a favorable impression of your company from the positive experience, opening the door for future employment.
7. Helping Diversify Your Workforce: Staffing agencies can help diversify your workforce because they have access to a wider talent pool and skilled candidates that can bring a wide range of perspectives and ideas to your workplace.
8. Enhance Your Company Reputation: Hiring a staffing agency guarantees a professional approach to your recruiting and hiring process. Smaller to medium size companies, without the full-time resources to seek talent may take shortcuts that can harm their reputation. Utilizing a staffing agency demonstrates that your company is serious about attracting top talent.

Contact a PRT Staffing office today in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, or Illinois to find out how we can quickly meet your staffing needs for skilled temporary workers.