Six Degrees Executive

If you’re in Australia, I’d start with Hays, Randstad, Chandler Macleod, Programmed/PERSOLKELLY, Adecco, Robert Half, Michael Page, Peoplebank, Hudson, and people2people. They’re the safest “default” shortlist because they’re big, visible in the Australian market, and commonly used by employers for permanent, contract, temp and labour-hire roles.

Best staffing agencies in Australia — practical shortlist

Best picks by situation

• General professional job search: Hays, Randstad, Michael Page, Robert Half, Robert Walters, people2people.
• Temp admin / customer service / call centre: Hays, Randstad, Chandler Macleod, Adecco, people2people.
• IT & digital contracting: Peoplebank, Talent International, Hudson, Hays Technology, Robert Half, Randstad Digital. Peoplebank is especially strong for government and enterprise IT. (finance.gov.au)
• Mining, resources, FIFO, industrial and trades: Programmed, WorkPac, Chandler Macleod, Hays, Randstad, Adecco. WorkPac is one of Australia’s larger workforce-solutions businesses and is well known in mining, construction and industrial labour hire. (workpac.com)
• Finance/accounting: Robert Half first, then Hays, Michael Page, Robert Walters, people2people.
• Government contracting: Hays, Hudson, Chandler Macleod, Peoplebank, Talent International, Randstad, people2people.
• Healthcare / nursing / aged care agency work: Healthcare Australia is one of the obvious specialist brands; HCA describes itself as the largest agency for flexible healthcare opportunities across hospitals, aged care, community and specialist services. (healthcareaustralia.com.au)
• Hospitality/events/shift-based casual work: consider Sidekicker as an app/platform rather than a traditional agency; it operates across major Australian and New Zealand cities for one-off shifts, ongoing assignments and some permanent opportunities. (help.sidekicker.com)

My “don’t overthink it” recommendation

If you’re a job seeker, register with 3–5 agencies, not just one:

1. Hays — broadest safe starting point.
2. Randstad — another strong generalist with lots of temp/contract work.
3. One specialist: Robert Half for finance/tech, Peoplebank for IT, Programmed/WorkPac for industrial/resources, Healthcare Australia for healthcare.
4. Michael Page or Robert Walters — for mid-senior professional roles.
5. people2people or Hudson — especially for business support, government or professional temp/contract work.

If you’re an employer, use Hays or Randstad for broad coverage, Chandler Macleod or Programmed for volume/labour hire, Peoplebank/Talent/Hudson for tech/government, and Robert Half/Michael Page/Robert Walters for professional specialist roles.

Best Staffing Agencies in Australia

Whether you're a business looking to hire or a job seeker looking for work, here are the agencies Aussies actually turn to, organised by what they're best known for.

Big Global Players (Best for Scale & Breadth)

Randstad Australia – One of the biggest names locally and globally. Randstad is one of the largest recruitment firms with over 46,000 employees around the world – including more than 1,000 right here in Australia, offering specialised recruitment and HR solutions across a broad range of sectors. Great if you're an enterprise needing scalable talent.

Adecco Australia – Part of the massive global Adecco Group. Adecco Australia has operated in Australia for decades, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide, placing workers across industrial, logistics, office support, and professional services — making them one of the biggest agencies for temp and contract staffing.

Hays Australia – A household name, especially for white-collar roles. They're headquartered out of London but have a huge Australian footprint with over 1,100 employees and a 4.2/5 Google rating across hundreds of reviews. Best known for IT recruitment.

ManpowerGroup Australia – A global leader in staffing solutions offering both contingent and permanent recruitment, providing businesses with rapid access to a qualified pool of candidates across various sectors.

Specialist/Professional Recruitment

Chandler Macleod – One of the oldest and most established local names. Chandler Macleod is an Australian staffing firm with over 60 years of history, founded in 1959 and part of the Recruit Holdings group since 2015, specializing in high-volume staffing for mining, resources, government, and defense. They've also got 35+ offices across Australia and over 1,000 employees.

Robert Half – The go-to for finance, accounting and tech placements. Robert Half Australia is the Australian arm of Robert Half International, a global staffing firm founded in 1948 and one of the most recognized names in finance, accounting, and technology recruitment.

Michael Page – Very strong brand recognition thanks to heavy local marketing. Michael Page is one of Australia's most recognisable recruitment and staffing solutions providers, part of the PageGroup and the FTSE 250 Index, founded in 1976 and now operating across some 140 offices in 36 countries. Particularly strong for engineering roles.

Hudson Australia – Well regarded for finance-specific roles.

Robert Walters – Another strong mid-to-senior professional recruiter covering finance, legal, HR and operations.

Modern/Flexible & Casual Staffing

Sidekicker – If you need casual or on-demand staff fast, this is the platform everyone's using right now. Sidekicker, founded in 2013, has quickly become one of Australia's fastest growing staffing agencies, backed by SEEK, with offices across Australia connecting over 15,000 job seekers with growing startups and global organizations every year — it holds a 4.7/5 rating based on 830 Google reviews.

Industry-Specific Picks

• Construction/Trades: Toll People, Protech Group, and MC Labour are among the largest construction-focused labour hire firms in the country, per industry rankings.
• Mining/Resources: Chandler Macleod and Protech dominate here.
• Government: Hoban Recruitment is a major federal government staffing player headquartered in Melbourne and topping lists of federal government staffing agencies by team size.
• Skilled Migration: Konnecting is a well-regarded Sydney-based option founded by Fred Molloy and St

If you are looking for a job or looking to hire in Australia, navigating the recruitment landscape can be surprisingly overwhelming. Australia has one of the largest staffing and recruitment markets in the world, and the "best" agency for you depends entirely on your industry, your experience level, and whether you are looking for permanent, temporary (temp), or casual work.

The top staffing agencies in Australia are categorized below by what they actually specialize in, highlighting the brands that candidates and employers use daily.

1. The Big Corporate & Generalist Giants

Best for: General administration, corporate support, customer service, government contracts, and high-volume recruitment.

• Hays Australia: Hays is arguably the most recognizable recruitment brand in the country. With offices in almost every major city (and many regional hubs), they are the go-to agency for government departments, banking, and general office support. If you want high-volume temp roles or stable office contracts, Hays is usually the first stop.
• Randstad Australia: Another massive global player with a huge local footprint. Randstad is incredibly active in call centers, retail, administration, and education (especially childcare and relief teaching).
• Adecco Australia: Widely used across the country for retail, logistics, manufacturing, and office support. They are known for having a very streamlined onboarding process for casual and temp staff.

2. Best for Specialized White-Collar, Finance, & Mid-Senior Corporate Roles

Best for: Accounting, finance, tech, legal, marketing, and human resources.

• Robert Half: If you are in accounting, finance, or IT, Robert Half is highly specialized and widely considered a gold standard. They have excellent, high-paying contracts and are highly respected by tier-one and tier-two employers.
• Michael Page / PageGroup: This agency is heavily utilized for mid-to-senior corporate careers, particularly in marketing, sales, procurement, and HR. They have a very strong network of multinational clients in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
• Robert Walters: Similar to Michael Page but with an incredibly strong footprint in legal, banking, compliance, and corporate tech recruitment.

3. Best "Aussie-Born" Agencies (Highly Rated for Candidate Experience)

Best for: A more personalized, "human" approach with excellent local networks.

• Sharp & Carter: Regularly winning industry awards, Sharp & Carter has built a massive reputation in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Candidates consistently rate them highly because their recruiters tend to offer actual feedback and a more personalized experience, rather than treating you like a number on a database. They specialize heavily in finance, HR, and executive search.
• people2people (p2p): Founded in Australia, this multi-award-winning agency is fantastic for graduates, sales professionals, and office support. They are highly transparent and are great at matching job seekers with temporary and contract office gigs.
• Six Degrees Executive: A highly respected local agency that specializes in executive and mid-to-senior placements in marketing, retail, supply chain, and digital sectors.

4. Best for Trades, Mining, & Blue-Collar (Labor Hire)

Best for: Warehousing, construction, manufacturing, transport, and mining/FIFO (Fly-In, Fly-Out).

• Programmed (Skilled Workforce): Programmed is one of the largest employers of manual and skilled labor in Australia. If you are a tradesperson, forklift driver, or looking for factory work, they have an endless stream of shifts.
• Chandler Macleod: A household name in Australia, particularly in the resources sector. They are highly dominant in mining, engineering, manufacturing, and construction placements. If you are looking for FIFO work in Western Australia or Queensland, Chandler Macleod is a primary contact.
• AWX: Great for regional work, hospitality, agriculture, and construction labor hire.

Local Tips for Navigating Australian Recruitment Agencies

1. SEEK is King: In Australia, SEEK.com.au is the absolute center of the job market. Almost every agency lists their jobs there. If you want a specific agency to notice you, make sure your SEEK profile is completely updated and set to "Standard" or "Visible" so recruiters can headhunt you directly.
2. "Give 'em a buzz": Don't just click "Apply" on a job board and hope for the best. Australian recruitment is highly relationship-driven. Look at the bottom of the job ad for the recruiter’s name and office number. Call them 24 hours after submitting your resume, reference the job code, and introduce yourself. It instantly puts you at the top of their pile.
3. Visa Status Matters: If you are in Australia on a temporary visa (like a Working Holiday Visa 417 or 462), tell the recruiter upfront. Agencies like Hays, Adecco, and Randstad have dedicated teams specifically for temporary and contract staff who can only work for six months with one employer.
4. Register with 2 or 3 Agencies: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Register with one large generalist (like Hays) and one or two boutique/specialized agencies in your field (like Sharp & Carter or Robert Half) to get the best of both worlds.

If you want the best-known staffing agencies in Australia that people actually use, the safest short list is Robert Half, Adecco, Michael Page, PERSOL, and Hays; these are widely recognized brands with broad recruitment and staffing coverage in Australia.

A practical way to choose is by use case:

Other agencies that also appear in Australia-focused rankings include PeopleScout APAC, Oakmont Magnus Global, Southside Staffing, Skillforce Recruitment, and Byron Thomas Recruitment.

If you want the agencies that are most likely to be actually used in practice by Australian employers, I’d rank the shortlist like this:

1. Robert Half — strongest for temp and contract hiring.
2. Adecco — strong mainstream option for broad staffing needs.
3. Michael Page — very common for professional and mid-senior roles.
4. PERSOL — solid for mixed temporary and permanent placements.
5. Hays — widely recognized generalist recruiter in Australia.

If you want, I can also give you a state-by-state shortlist for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, or Adelaide, or narrow it to IT, healthcare, trades, admin, or executive search.

In Australia, there’s no single “best” staffing agency — it depends on your industry, city, and whether you want casual/temp, contract, or permanent work. The names below are the ones with the biggest presence and that employers and job seekers actually use.

Big generalist / professional

• Hays — huge across office support, government, IT, construction, healthcare, finance.
• Randstad — temp/perm, blue-collar, office, government, tech.
• Michael Page — professional, finance, tech, sales, marketing, exec.
• Robert Half — finance, accounting, tech, admin.
• Robert Walters — finance, legal, tech, professional.
• Adecco — temp/perm, industrial, office, government.
• ManpowerGroup — industrial, office, tech.
• Kelly Services — office, industrial, professional.
• Drake International — office, industrial, healthcare.

Strong Australian / mid-tier

• Chandler Macleod — government, mining, labour hire, office.
• Programmed — trades, mining, maintenance, facilities, labour hire.
• WorkPac — mining, resources, construction, labour hire.
• Talent — IT, government, professional.
• DFP Recruitment — government, admin, health, IT.
• people2people — office support, legal, HR, marketing.
• Sharp & Carter — finance, accounting, business support.
• Six Degrees Executive — exec, supply chain, sales, marketing.
• Davidson — government, IT, exec.
• Mars Recruitment — finance, tech, HR.
• Perigon Group — finance/accounting.
• Ambition — professional, finance, marketing.

IT / digital Bluefin Resources, Clicks IT Recruitment, Talenza, Finite, Peoplebank, Ignite, The Recruitment Company, Sirius People, Launch Recruitment.

Government / public sector DFP, HorizonOne, Talent, Chandler Macleod, Hays, Randstad, Davidson, SOS Recruitment, Effective People, Troocoo.

Labour hire / blue-collar / trades Programmed, WorkPac, AWX, CoreStaff, Labour Solutions Australia, IPA, Chandler Macleod, Randstad, Adecco, Manpower, Drake.

Healthcare Healthcare Australia, Austra Health, Medacs, Alliance Nursing, Pulse Staffing, Cornerstone Medical Recruitment, Wavelength International, Ochre Recruitment.

Education ANZUK Education, Tradewind Australia, Randstad Education, Hays Education.

Executive search Korn Ferry, Spencer Stuart, Heidrick & Struggles, Egon Zehnder, Russell Reynolds, Watermark Search, Fisher Leadership, Omera Partners.

NFP / community Beaumont People, NGO Recruitment, People for Purpose.

Casual / hospitality / events Sidekicker, Pinnacle People.

Where you are matters

• Sydney/Melbourne: Hays, Michael Page, Robert Half, Robert Walters, Sharp & Carter, Six Degrees, people2people.
• Brisbane: Troocoo, Davidson, Osborne Richardson, Six Degrees, Sharp & Carter.
• Canberra: DFP, HorizonOne, Talent, SOS Recruitment, Effective People, Chandler Macleod.
• Perth: WorkPac, Programmed, Chandler Macleod, AWX, CoreStaff, Hays.
• Adelaide: Hays, Randstad, Chandler Macleod, DFP, Talent.

Practical tips for Australia

• Recruiters are paid by the employer. You should not pay a standard recruitment agency to find you a job.
• Labour hire agencies may employ you directly as a casual and place you with a client.
• Register with 2–3 agencies that actually recruit in your field, not 20.
• Most agency roles are also on SEEK and LinkedIn, but agencies do have unadvertised roles.
• Check if they’re an RCSA member (Recruitment and Consulting Services Association) for credibility.

If you had to name the absolute top brands most Australians have heard of and used: Hays, Randstad, Michael Page, Robert Half, Robert Walters, Adecco, Manpower, Chandler Macleod, Programmed, WorkPac, Talent and DFP.

The biggest and most widely used staffing/recruitment agencies in Australia (based on revenue, national presence, and mentions across industry reports) are the large generalists that handle volume temp, contract, and permanent placements across sectors.

These are the ones that turn up most often in job ads on SEEK, company websites, and discussions—people actually use them for everything from warehouse shifts and admin roles to professional and specialist hiring.

Top by Scale (2024 Australian Staffing Revenue – Latest SIA Data)

These dominate the market and are household names for both job seekers and employers:

• Hays — Largest overall (~AUD 2.23 billion). Broad coverage in professional, technical, construction, government, and specialist roles. National offices; very active in contract and permanent recruitment.
• Recruit Holdings (includes Chandler Macleod and peoplebank) — ~AUD 1.95 billion. Strong in high-volume staffing, admin, professional services, and integrated HR solutions. Chandler Macleod often praised for its organisational psychology background.
• Persol (includes Programmed) — ~AUD 1.75 billion. Big in industrial, workforce services, and large-scale temp/contract work.
• Randstad — ~AUD 1.60 billion. Generalist leader in temp, contract, and permanent roles across many industries; very common for entry-to-mid level and enterprise staffing.
• PeopleIN — ~AUD 1.14 billion. Industrial, healthcare, and specialist staffing brands.

These five (plus a few others like WorkPac for mining/resources) account for a huge chunk of activity and are the ones most Australians encounter when job hunting or hiring.

Other Commonly Used & Recommended Agencies

• Michael Page and Robert Half — Frequently recommended for professional, finance, accounting, legal, and mid-to-senior roles. Strong reputation for quality placements in white-collar sectors.
• WorkPac — Go-to for mining, resources, construction, and industrial labour hire (especially FIFO roles).
• people2people — Often highlighted in SEEK awards for large agencies; good for business support and professional roles.
• Hudson — Popular for government, public sector, and professional contracting.
• Specialist or niche options — Ignite (strong reviews for IT, cyber, engineering, defence); Sidekicker (app-based casual/temp shifts in hospitality/logistics); Talent International or Clicks (IT/tech).

Quick Tips for Australians

• "Best" depends on your needs — For general or high-volume roles (warehouse, admin, trades, etc.), start with Hays, Randstad, or Chandler Macleod. For professional/specialist roles, try Michael Page, Robert Half, or sector specialists. Mining/resources? WorkPac or Programmed.
• Experiences vary a lot by individual consultant—many people register with 2–3 agencies at once. Big names get complaints on forums (e.g., "resume farming" or slow follow-up), but they move the most volume.
• Check recent Google reviews, SEEK job ads, or industry awards (like SEEK SARAs) for the latest sentiment. Smaller boutiques can be more personalised but have less reach.
• For job seekers: Upload your CV directly via their websites or SEEK integrations. For employers: They handle everything from temp labour to full RPO.

If you tell me your industry, role type (temp vs permanent, professional vs trades), or location (e.g., Sydney, Melbourne, resources sector), I can narrow it down further! Always verify current capabilities directly, as the market shifts.