Biggest Recruitment Agencies in Australia (2026): 15+ Providers Compared

Hays is the biggest recruitment agency in Australia by the latest published Australian staffing-revenue ranking, generating approximately A$2.23 billion in Australian staffing revenue in calendar 2024 according to Staffing Industry Analysts. Recruit Holdings, Persol, Randstad and PeopleIN complete the top five.

But size is only one way to choose a workforce provider. The right option changes dramatically depending on whether you need a permanent manager, a mining crew, warehouse staff for a demand spike or casual workers across recurring shifts. This guide compares the major recruitment, labour hire and digital workforce providers by size, model and use case.

On this page: The short answer · Top 5 by revenue · The five models · Providers compared · Best by hiring need · Costs · State schemes · Protected pay · Buyer checklist · For workers · FAQ

The short answer: who is the biggest?

By Australian staffing revenue for calendar 2024, Hays ranked first at approximately A$2.23 billion, according to Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), followed by Recruit Holdings, Persol, Randstad and PeopleIN. These are 2024 staffing-revenue figures, not 2026 revenue estimates.

And “biggest” depends on what you are trying to hire. Programmed is a major industrial workforce operator; WorkPac is highly relevant in mining and resources; Michael Page and Robert Half specialise in professional recruitment; Sidekicker and Yakka represent app-based temporary staffing; and MyGig is built as an AI-powered Workforce-as-a-Service platform and Employer of Record for casual frontline work. The biggest recruitment agency is not automatically the best workforce partner: a company hiring a CFO, a mine operator and 20 warehouse pick-packers this weekend has three completely different problems.

Top 5 Australian staffing companies by revenue

Source: Staffing Industry Analysts, Australian staffing revenue for calendar 2024, checked 20 August 2026. These figures measure staffing revenue and should not be confused with total group revenue, market capitalisation, worker headcount or 2026 run-rate revenue. We do not estimate revenue for companies outside this published table.

“Biggest” does not mean “best”: know the five models

Traditional recruitment solves “find me someone”. Traditional labour hire solves “supply me with workers”. Workforce-as-a-Service solves “run my flexible workforce for me”. The same query, “biggest recruitment agency”, hides five different products:

MyGig's thesis is that casual workforce infrastructure should work more like cloud software than a traditional temp desk: businesses should be able to increase or reduce headcount shift by shift while the employment, award interpretation, payroll and worker payment infrastructure scales underneath them.

The biggest recruitment and staffing providers, compared

Provider information is model-level, from each provider's public Australian website, checked 20 August 2026. Where something is not publicly stated, the cell says “varies” rather than guessing; always confirm current terms with the provider.

Traditional and enterprise recruitment

Enterprise staffing and industrial labour hire

Digital, shift-led staffing platforms

App-based platforms are the closest category to MyGig: software workflows for filling shifts and short-term staffing requirements, rather than desks and CVs.

Workforce-as-a-Service

The category MyGig operates: workforce sourcing and management software combined with legal employment and payroll infrastructure, so the platform does not stop at finding the worker.

Best provider by hiring need

This is the table we wish existed when people ask “who is the biggest”. Shortlists, not verdicts: check current capability with each provider.

We have deliberately not put MyGig in the mining, construction or professional-search rows: those are not what it is built for, and pretending otherwise would make the rows where it genuinely belongs less believable.

Warehousing and logistics

For recurring casual shifts, pick and pack, forklift and 3PL work with variable demand, shortlist MyGig (shift-based operations with EOR, the award engine and daily worker payroll), Programmed and Chandler Macleod for enterprise programs, and Sidekicker for app-based temp staffing in major cities.

Hospitality, retail and events

App-based flexible staffing fits demand that moves week to week: MyGig in NSW, WA, TAS and NT, and Sidekicker across major ANZ cities. For a single venue hiring one regular casual, a job board may be all you need.

Construction

WorkPac, Protech and Programmed carry industrial and construction workforce depth, and Yakka is a genuine option for short-notice construction labour once the engagement model for the role is confirmed. MyGig covers construction support roles such as trade assistants and labourers within its operating states rather than specialist construction staffing.

Mining and FIFO

WorkPac, Programmed and Protech. This is specialist territory with its own mobilisation, rosters and compliance surface; MyGig does not pretend to be a national mining staffing provider.

Professional and white collar

Hays, Michael Page, Robert Half, Randstad and Hudson. Traditional recruitment is the right model for search, and MyGig is not a professional-search firm.

An existing casual workforce you want off internal payroll

This is the Workforce-as-a-Service sweet spot: MyGig's workforce transfer moves existing casuals onto MyGig as Employer of Record, keeping the same people, sites and rosters while payroll, awards, super and workers comp move onto the platform.

When the biggest agency may be the wrong choice

Scale matters, but only if it solves your constraint.

A national recruiter may be the right choice when you need a specialist professional search, a senior permanent hire, a national managed-services contract, or hundreds of workers across complex enterprise sites.

A specialised workforce platform may be more appropriate when you need five warehouse workers tomorrow; extra retail staff for a weekend; hospitality workers around unpredictable demand; temporary operational headcount; to move an existing casual workforce off internal payroll; or one platform for workers, timesheets, award calculations and payroll.

The question is not “who has the most revenue?”. It is: who can reliably solve the workforce problem you actually have?

How much do recruitment and labour hire companies cost?

The two traditional models price differently. Permanent recruitment is commonly priced as a percentage of the placed salary, quoted per engagement. Labour hire is normally an hourly bill rate that bundles the wage, statutory on-costs and the provider's margin; most providers quote it per client rather than publishing it. Our employer guide on what labour hire actually costs in 2026 unpacks the four layers inside a bill rate.

MyGig publishes its pricing: a flat 15% service fee on wages and on-costs, the same for every client, with the full estimated shift cost shown before a booking is confirmed. Published pricing is rare in this market, which is exactly why we lead with it.

Labour hire licensing schemes by Australian state

Regulation differs by state and continues to change, and getting this wrong is common: as at 20 August 2026, dedicated labour hire licensing schemes operate in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT. NSW currently has no general scheme but is considering reform, and Western Australia does not require a specific licence for providing labour hire, although other employment, safety and workers compensation laws still apply. Always verify the provider's current legal position for the state in which the work will be performed.

Regulation changes. Verify the provider and the rules for the work location before engagement. WHS duties exist in every jurisdiction whether or not a labour hire licensing scheme applies: WorkSafe WA, for example, states that both labour hire providers and host businesses have duties and must consult, cooperate and coordinate.

Same job, same pay: protected rates for labour hire workers

Labour hire has changed, and this is a 2026 question worth asking any provider. Under the Fair Work Act, the Fair Work Commission can make a regulated labour hire arrangement order. Where an order applies, covered labour hire employees must receive at least the protected rate of pay they would receive under the host's relevant workplace instrument. This does not mean every labour hire worker automatically receives the host's enterprise-agreement rate: an order has to apply first. The Fair Work Ombudsman's labour hire and supply chains guidance covers who can apply and when orders take effect; check how it applies to your arrangement.

How to choose a workforce provider

A practical checklist for the buying conversation, whoever you shortlist:

• What exact hiring model do I need: permanent, temp, labour hire or flexible shifts?
• Who will legally employ the worker?
• Who calculates the applicable Modern Award or agreement?
• Who runs PAYG and super?
• Who holds workers compensation insurance?
• What WHS duties remain with my business?
• Does the state where the work occurs run a labour hire licensing scheme?
• If a scheme applies, does the provider hold the required licence?
• Can I see worker licences, tickets and work rights?
• How quickly can workers actually start?
• What is the no-show and replacement process?
• How is time and attendance captured?
• How often are workers paid, and what does the worker experience look like?
• What does the service cost, and is pricing published or negotiated?
• What reporting and audit trail do I receive?
• Can the provider support an existing workforce, or only source new people?

If you are looking for work

The same distinctions matter from the worker's side. With a recruitment agency, you apply for roles and, if successful, you may be hired directly by the client. With labour hire, the provider normally employs you and sends you to host businesses. With a job board, the site advertises roles and the advertiser handles the hiring. MyGig employs casual workers as Employer of Record in NSW, WA, TAS and NT, provides shift access through the app, and pays workers the day after each approved shift into the MyGig Wallet.

We compared the worker-side options, including pay speed and employee-versus-contractor status, in our guide to the best casual job apps in Australia.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

If “biggest” means Australian staffing revenue, Hays leads the latest published SIA ranking. If you need national enterprise staffing, Programmed, Chandler Macleod, Randstad and PeopleIN belong on the shortlist. If you need mining or resources depth, look at specialists such as WorkPac and Protech.

If your problem is different, recurring casual shifts, variable frontline headcount, award-heavy payroll and too much workforce admin, then the more useful comparison is not recruiter versus recruiter. It is traditional staffing versus Workforce-as-a-Service. That is the problem MyGig is built to solve.