Staffing Agency Vs Temp Agency

If you’re struggling with filling your job opening, you’re not alone. In fact, the labor shortage is still going strong in 2023 and is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. So what are your options when trying to overcome the current staffing challenges?

The perfect solution is leveraging the services of staffing and temp agencies. 

These two are often mistaken for one another, but they’re very different and are suited for businesses dealing with completely separate sets of circumstances. What are the key points in the staffing agency vs temp agency debate is a common question we receive, so today we’ll clarify the main differences and help you understand which type of staffing solution is a good or better fit for you. 

Temp Agency vs Staffing Agency - the Definitions

Let’s go over the definition of each of these terms - it will all start making sense very quickly. 

What is a Temp Agency?

Often mistaken for a recruitment agency, a temp agency is a shorter term of a temporary agency (all this agency talk). These firms specialize in connecting companies with candidates looking for part-time, seasonal, or temporary work. 

When talking about the temp agency vs staffing agency debate, keep in mind that nothing is set in stone as temp agencies may also help companies find temp-to-hire candidates. This is an employment arrangement where an individual is hired temporarily (for example, six months) and at the end of the employment period, the temp becomes eligible for a full-time position if the company wants to hire them. 

Temp-to-hire is a favorable option for organizations looking to test out an employee over a longer period without wasting a lot of resources. 

Furthermore, temp agencies help companies fulfill their needs for project-by-project employees, useful for avoiding understaffing situations during busy periods. 

The biggest advantage of using a temp agency is that they are in charge of finding and onboarding the candidates, and they also take on the responsibility of paying and potentially firing employees. More precisely, if you hire a temporary employee through an agency, they’re not really employed by you, rather, they’re employees of the agency. 

What is a Staffing Agency?

A staffing or recruitment agency is exactly the opposite of a temporary agency. They are primarily focused on fulfilling the long-term employment needs of their clients by connecting them with candidates looking for full-time employment.

You can look at the staffing agency vs temp agency debate through the prism of their goals. A staffing agency is looking to find, select, screen, and hire the most qualified candidates for long-term jobs, while a temp agency is simply used to fill out vacant positions. 

What’s the Better Choice?

The question of staffing agency vs temp agency is redundant, as the real question is which one is more appropriate for what you’re trying to achieve. Hence, neither is better. In reality, there are staffing agencies that can address both long-term and short-term staffing. This is by far the best type of agency as they can fulfill all your staffing needs. 

If you’re having trouble deciding which agency you should go for, here are some of the benefits you can expect to see from both. Let’s start with a temporary agency:

Benefits of Working With a Temp Agency

Here are the main advantages of working with a temp agency:

• Save time - focus on core business processes and let the agency take care of all the aspects of managing temporary workers.

• Save money - onboarding will be cheaper because temp workers require less attention as they’ll only be with you for a few months.

• Hire with more flexibility - temp agencies offer plenty of scheduling options, meaning you can scale up or down depending on your needs

Benefits of Working With a Staffing Agency

The strengths of staffing agencies include:

• Leverage a high level of expertise - finding an appropriate candidate can be a struggle, especially when you’re hiring someone internally. Specialists working in staffing agencies are familiar with the trends in each sector and the techniques necessary to overcome most staffing challenges. 

• Hire faster - regardless of whether you’re dealing with an emergency or trying to take your time filling a crucial role with the best possible person, staffing agencies will always deliver and provide you with as many candidates as you need

• Find the right candidate - due to their experience in hiring, a recruitment specialist will be highly accurate in matching appropriate candidates to your companies. While they’ll ensure all candidates meet the requirements regarding skill sets, experience, and education, staffing agencies will also consider if the candidate is a cultural fit for your company. As a result, you’ll gain access to candidates of an exponentially higher caliber than you would if you performed the hiring on your own. 

• Make better use of your resources - the amount of money you pay for hiring a candidate through a staffing agency is notably lower than what you’d spend hiring alone. Think of all the job postings, background checks, and preliminary interviews - all of those cost money. Considering you may not find the right candidate, you’d basically be throwing money into the wind. With staffing agencies, it’s different. They already have deep talent pools, know how to motivate hidden talent, and boast a better chance of finding someone who’s a right fit - all the while requiring a lot less resources. 

Fulfill Your Hiring Goals Now!

Finding the right talent is one of the biggest challenges businesses all around the country are facing each and every day. To make matters worse, the labor shortage is making the entire thing even more difficult than it already is. 

Staffing or a temp agency can help you meet your hiring needs. The question is, are you ready to surrender control?

Most small businesses take pride in doing everything in-house, which is certainly a commendable approach. However, at some point, you need to give up a part of the control and let the specialist handle this aspect of your business for you.

Here at Griffin Global, we connect companies similar to yours with candidates all the time. During our 20 years in the business, we have managed to cultivate a deep talent pool and understanding of the most efficient marketing and hiring strategies. Plus, if you can’t decide on the whole staffing agency vs temp agency thing, we can help you hire long-term, as well as connect you with the best temp workers around. 

Call (855) 747-4334 or reach us through our contact form and fulfill your hiring goals now!