Staffing agencies: AI search visibility ranking (2026)
How AI search engines rank staffing agencies by visibility and citations. 20 brands measured monthly across Google AI Mode: which brands the AI names in answers, which domains it cites as sources, and how the leaders compare. Staffing agencies that place permanent, contract, and temporary talent across professional, technical, administrative, and industrial roles. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
Refreshed Jun 18, 2026Download this ranking as a PDF
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At a glance
What we observed in this categoryauto-generated
Robert Half leads the staffing agency category with a visibility score of 37.5%, which is five times the category average of 7.5% and roughly 12 percentage points ahead of the three brands tied at second. Randstad, Adecco, and Aerotek share an identical composite score of 17.5, creating a clear two-tier structure where Robert Half occupies a distinct top position. This gap is meaningful because it suggests Google AI Mode is consistently surfacing Robert Half in responses where competitors appear only intermittently.
The most striking divergence in this data is between named visibility and citation trust. Insight Global ranks fifth by visibility at 12.5% but is the only top-five brand carrying any citation share, at 25.0%. By contrast, Robert Half, Randstad, Adecco, and Aerotek all register 0.0% citation despite their high visibility scores. This pattern indicates AI responses mention those four brands frequently but anchor sourcing to external third parties rather than the brands' own domains.
The cited sources list confirms that Google AI Mode draws staffing category content from third-party review and industry aggregator sites rather than brand-owned domains. Forbes, ClearlyRated, Staffing Industry Analysts, and Yelp all appear in the top cited sources alongside only one brand domain, insightglobal.com. ManpowerGroup, Kelly, and Hays each record 0.0% on both visibility and citation, suggesting Google AI Mode currently excludes several large global brands from relevant query responses entirely.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
-
Robert Half 0% → 38% · rank #0 → #1+38pp
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Randstad 0% → 25% · rank #0 → #2+25pp
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Adecco 0% → 25% · rank #0 → #3+25pp
The ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
roberthalf.com
|
38% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Robert Half holds 37.5% visibility, five times the 7.5% category average, yet records 0.0% citation, meaning AI mentions it heavily without linking to its domain. |
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| 2 |
randstad.com
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Randstad ties Adecco and Aerotek at 25.0% visibility and a composite score of 17.5, with no citation share separating any of the three brands. |
||||
| 3 |
adecco.com
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Adecco matches Randstad exactly at 25.0% visibility and 0.0% citation, placing it in a three-way tie with no differentiation in AI sourcing behaviour. |
||||
| 4 |
aerotek.com
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Aerotek shares the same 25.0% visibility and 17.5 composite score as Randstad and Adecco, with Google AI Mode treating all three identically by current metrics. |
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| 5 |
insightglobal.com
|
12% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
Insight Global is the only top-five brand with any citation share at 25.0%, despite lower 12.5% visibility, making it the sole brand whose domain AI actively references. |
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| 6 |
teksystems.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
kforce.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
manpowergroup.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
kellyservices.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
haysplc.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
michaelpage.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
allegisgroup.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
motionrecruitment.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
sthree.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
nesfircroft.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
talentburst.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
astoncarter.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
experis.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
lucasgroup.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
volt.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on staffing agencies, these are the domains Google AI Mode cited most often. If you're not on this list — or if your competitors are — that's a concrete PR / linkbuilding target.
How to read this ranking
Four things worth knowing before you act on the numbers above. These are the same definitions across every industry page — for category-specific observations, see the What we observed section above (where available) and the per-brand insights inline in the ranking.
Visibility = being named
A brand's visibility % is the share of AI answers that mention it by name in the response prose. This is who AI engines actively recommend to the buyer.
Citation rate = being trusted
Citation rate is the share of AI answers that include the brand's domain as a clickable source link. This is what the AI treats as authoritative evidence — different from being named.
Top engine differs by brand
The "top engine" column shows which AI surface each brand performs best on. Big gaps between a brand's score across engines usually points to specific content or schema gaps.
Rankings move month to month
AI engines re-crawl and re-rank on shorter cycles than classical search. We re-audit every brand on this list at least every 30 days and refresh this page automatically.
Get your own staffing agencies brand audited
The brands above were curated from public market-leader lists. Want the same measurement against your own brand — including the queries you appear on, which competitors get named instead, and a prioritised fix list? Run a free preview.
Frequently asked about staffing agencies AI visibility
Who leads AI visibility in the staffing agencies category?
Robert Half leads with 37.5% visibility and a composite score of 26.2, well ahead of Randstad, Adecco, and Aerotek, which are all tied at 25.0% visibility and a composite score of 17.5.
Which staffing brands are most cited by Google AI Mode?
Insight Global is the only top-ten brand with a meaningful citation rate at 25.0%. All other top-ranked brands, including Robert Half, record 0.0% citation despite high visibility.
What sources does Google AI Mode anchor on for staffing agency research?
The top cited sources include forbes.com, clearlyrated.com, staffingindustry.com, and m.yelp.com, with only one brand domain, insightglobal.com, appearing in the cited sources list.
Are any major global staffing brands absent from AI responses?
Yes. ManpowerGroup, Kelly, and Hays all record 0.0% visibility and 0.0% citation, meaning Google AI Mode currently excludes these brands from the audited query responses entirely.
How does category average visibility compare to the top brand?
The category average visibility is 7.5%, while Robert Half sits at 37.5%, making the leader five times more visible than the average across all 20 brands in the audit.
Is high visibility always paired with high citation in this category?
No. The data shows the opposite pattern for most brands. Insight Global achieves 25.0% citation with only 12.5% visibility, while Robert Half has the highest visibility at 37.5% but 0.0% citation.