How to Choose a Staffing Agency: A Checklist for Employers

How to Choose a Staffing Agency

Updated November 6, 2026

How Do You Choose a Staffing Agency?

Choose a staffing agency that regularly fills your exact role in your area. Ask for its screening steps, fill time, replacement guarantee and full written rates, confirm it carries workers' compensation, and get the same quote from two or three agencies. Compare the pay offered to workers as well as the bill rate you pay.

Updated November 6, 2026 · Source: manpower.broker staffing guide; rules of thumb, so confirm terms in the written agreement.

Agencies are not interchangeable. The one that fills forklift shifts overnight may struggle to find a bookkeeper.

The Checklist

Specialty: how many roles like yours did they fill recently, nearby?
Screening: what do they actually check, and can you see it?
Insurance: ask for a certificate of workers' compensation and liability insurance.
Pay rate advice: do they tell you honestly if your pay is too low to attract people?
Guarantee: what happens if someone fails on day one?
Contact: who answers at 6 a.m. when a shift is short?

Warning Signs

No written agreement or rate sheet
Workers paid in cash or treated as contractors for ordinary shift work
No proof of workers' compensation coverage
Vague answers about screening

Next Step

Find agencies near you, save a shortlist, and compare answers in the quote tool.

Find Staffing Agencies Near You