Ask any staffing firm, big or small, what its top challenge is. Not surprisingly, the answers are identical: Finding people with the right skills given the scarcity of talent. Organizations — including staffing firms — are facing one of the largest talent shortages since 2007 with the US unemployment rate at 4.1% in February. Firms are all vying for the same talent. So, when staffing firms find the right internal workers, what do they do? Engage them.

For the ninth time, Staffing Industry Analysts surveyed employees of staffing firms to see the approach these companies are taking. The winners on this year’s Best Staffing Firms to Work For list are committed to creating an environment that helps their workers reach their potential, professionally and personally. Gone are the days when it was just about careers and 80-hour workweeks. Staffing firms must adopt a holistic approach that extends to the home. The successful staffing firms are those that allow employees to take off early to watch
their kids’ baseball games or be there for a piano recital. Of course, it’s understood that employees meet their deadlines before taking off.

This year’s contest lists the top companies in North America and the UK based on company size. We have five categories in the US — ranging from 10 to 20 internal employees to 501-plus internal employees. In the UK, there are two categories: Companies with 10 to 50 internal employees and those with 51-plus internal employees. The grand prize winners in each category are profiled in these pages. Firms placing in the top quartile of responses for a category round out the winners list. This year’s list is sponsored by Monster.

Read about the Best Staffing Firms to Work For here.