Staffing and recruitment are both strategies that outsourcing providers use to fill vacant positions within their client companies. Although staffing is the most commonly used method for filling vacancies, it may not be the best option for all companies.
In this article, we explain the difference between staffing and recruitment to help you decide which option is more suitable for your company.
In a nutshell, staffing can be defined as selecting highly talented employees from a pool of contracted workers and placing them within client organizations to fill empty roles without fear that the contractor will leave the position vacant.
Staffing is similar to outsourcing in that it involves hiring employees from another company (in this case, a staffing agency) rather than employing them internally.
Staffing agencies recruit and screen applicants to identify those with the necessary skills to fill their client’s vacant roles. If you’re looking for an agency that can provide highly skilled temporary employees quickly, then a staffing provider may be right for you.
Recruitment, on the other hand, is the process of finding and hiring top talent; it’s an active recruiting method that most companies use to fill their vacancies. More specifically, recruitment is the selection process used by companies to find employees who are most likely to succeed in a job.
In addition to identifying candidates with relevant experience and education, recruitment involves performing background checks and reference checking to reduce the risk that a new hire will end up being a liability.
In addition to in-house recruiting, companies can team up with recruitment agencies to find and hire top talent. These third-party recruiting agencies use a variety of tools and methods to identify ideal candidates for the roles they place.
Although staffing and recruitment ultimately result in your organization filling vacant positions with new employees, the two options are different in a number of ways.
Staffing is a temporary solution to your hiring needs because you do not own the contracted employees; instead, they work directly for a staffing agency. Your only responsibility is to pay the agency for their services.
Recruitment, on the other hand, can be a long-term solution because it involves making an investment in your employees by hiring them directly.
Here are a few other significant differences between staffing vs. recruitment.
Staffing is typically used to fill temporary positions that last anywhere from a few months to one year. In contrast, recruitment focuses on permanent jobs that usually require at least six months of service and offer benefits and other perks not found with staffing agencies.
Staffing agencies generally fill vacancies within a couple of weeks, whereas recruitment can take several weeks or even longer.
Recruiting for one opening is a short-term goal. In contrast, staffing is a continuous process. There are always new opportunities that emerge within a company that requires the recruitment of new employees. The staffing process is always repeating.
Staffing is a time-effective solution because it doesn’t require hiring managers to participate in recruitment activities, such as submitting new candidate resumes. Managers are responsible for overseeing the contracted employees who work onsite.
Recruitment, on the other hand, involves working closely with recruiters from a recruitment agency to find candidates with the necessary experience and skills to fill open positions.
Staffing is generally priced on a per-employee basis; recruitment fees, however, depend on the number of candidates hired for your position as well as the type of recruitment service a company chooses.
While there are many differences between staffing and recruitment, both options offer diverse benefits that can help your company fill vacancies faster with the right employees to achieve business goals. To determine which option is best for your organization, consider factors like budget, time availability, and the scope of your current hiring needs.
Consider staffing when:
Consider recruitment when:
Staffing vs. recruitment is an ongoing debate in the business world, and there isn’t a clear answer as to which one option is better than the other.
Ultimately, your organization’s needs will determine whether you should rely on staffing or recruitment services. Whether you choose to work with staffing agencies or recruiting companies, both options provide many benefits that can help your company reach its business goals.
Do you need to grow your team? But, your in-house recruiters are already overwhelmed with current positions? Or, you’re looking to explore new markets and set up offices in new locations? We’ve got you covered!
As a recruitment agency, we’re always ready to step in and help out with your recruiting tasks while your recruiters take the time to focus on projects that are already in progress.
As a specialized resourcing agency that focuses on recruitment and staffing for IT and operational business roles, Popcorn Recruiters are your go-to partners for filling one or more roles in your company.
We help our clients apply data-driven hiring techniques, Agile and Lean recruitment approaches, and implement the latest sourcing and engagement strategies that guarantee better success with passive candidate pools. This way, we help clients transform their recruitment process, dramatically cut their lead times, and ultimately – quickly fill vacancies all over Europe.
From market analysis to reducing your time to hire, we’re here to support your hiring process. Get in touch with our team!