New data shows recruitment is rising 🚀

This new research offers some hope for the recruitment and staffing industry.

Everyone feels it’s been tough. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

After several quarters of decline, we see indications of stabilisation, and also evidence of which tactics and sectors are performing best.

The report bases its findings on the earnings results of six of the world’s largest staffing companies. Thank you, Recruiterflow.

You can get the full “Recruitment Industry Analysis” eBook here.

In 2024, the results were very poor. YoY revenue declining by 13% at Randstad and 9.1% at Robert Half in Q2.

This year, we see new developments.

RPO: Across the peer set, RPO emerged as the common saviour. Clients wanted hiring results without rebuilding big in-house teams, so they kept RPO pipelines open even when new requisitions slowed. RPO’s subscription-like model is sought after over one-off engagements

Diversification: The data shows a stark difference between diversified firms and their peers. For example, Korn Ferry maintained a net profit margin consistently near 9%—far outpacing the industry average of roughly 2%. This multi-legged model acted as a financial shock absorber, preventing the dramatic “earnings whiplash” seen elsewhere. However, I would suggest there is not enough evidence to draw any conclusion, especially as many pieces of advice suggest that ‘specialising’ is the road to salvation in this market.

AI: The role of AI is shifting from execution-first (crunching high volumes of data) to value-first: sharper matching, faster shortlists, better candidate journeys, etc. Companies using AI across the hiring pipeline are seeing steady productivity gains and shorter hiring cycles.

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Revenue trends 

Across the sample set, quarterly revenue improved by 4% in Q2 2025, signalling a modest recovery. This may be the beginning of a new normal—one where a service mix is well-defined and growth is more predictable.

Thank you, Recruiterflow.

You can get the full “Recruitment Industry Analysis” eBook here.

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