What Robert Half does

Robert Half is a publicly traded (NYSE: RHI) specialized talent solutions firm founded in 1948 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California. The company places contract, permanent, and executive-level professionals across five primary verticals — finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and administrative and customer support — through a network of 300+ global locations. Its technology stack centers on an AI-powered matching platform that combines proprietary machine learning with a 30-million-candidate database to accelerate placement, and the company has been recognized with Stevie Awards for its AI/ML solutions in 2025 and 2026.

The firm generates revenue through four primary streams: contract and temporary staffing (the largest, billed on staffing fees against candidate compensation), permanent placement (transaction-based, typically a percentage of first-year salary), retained executive search for C-suite and board-level roles, and consulting services delivered through wholly owned subsidiary Protiviti, which operates 90+ offices in 25+ countries serving technology, risk/compliance/audit, finance transformation, and digital/marketing engagements. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales through specialized recruiters with a direct-to-consumer digital platform (job board, mobile app, resume upload, job alerts) that funnels candidates into the recruiter network.

Full-year 2025 revenue was $5.379 billion, down 7.2% from $5.796 billion in 2024, and Q1 2026 revenue of $1.30 billion declined 4% year-over-year. The company maintains a debt-free balance sheet with substantial cash reserves, approximately 92% institutional ownership, and a ~10% dividend yield. The firm has held the #1 ranking on Forbes' America's Best Professional Recruiting Firms list for eight consecutive years.

Name

Robert Half

Legal name

Robert Half International Inc.

Website

https://www.roberthalf.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Robert Half is a staffing and employment agency that specialises in providing opportunities for business sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Staffing Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

akta.pro primary industry

Contingent Workforce / Contractor RPO (Contractor Recruiting) (BPACABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal & Compliance Direct Hire (BPACAFAJ), Administrative, Clerical & Office Support Direct Hire (BPACAFAF)

Keywords

• Professional staffing services
• Talent solutions
• Executive search
• Contract staffing
• Recruitment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Menlo Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Talent Solutions (Contract Staffing): Contract and temporary staffing services placing skilled professionals in finance, accounting, technology, marketing, legal, and administrative roles. Revenue from staffing fees based on candidate placement.
2. Permanent Placement Services: Permanent placement recruiting services matching candidates with full-time positions, with fees typically based on a percentage of the placed candidate's first-year salary.
3. Consulting Services (Protiviti): Business consulting services including technology, risk/compliance/audit, finance, digital/marketing transformation, and operations consulting through subsidiary Protiviti.
4. Executive Search: Retained executive search services for C-suite and senior leadership placements, typically on a retained engagement basis.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Robert Half is a global specialized talent solutions firm that places contract, temporary, and permanent professionals across finance, accounting, technology, marketing, legal, and administrative functions. The company also operates Protiviti, a wholly owned consulting subsidiary providing technology, risk/compliance/audit, finance, and digital transformation consulting services.

Product overview

Robert Half operates as a talent solutions and business consulting firm offering a portfolio of staffing and consulting products. The core staffing business includes Contract/Flexible Staffing and Permanent/Full-Time Staffing for contract and direct-hire placements, supplemented by Executive Search for retained C-suite and board-level searches. These staffing services span five verticalspecializations: Finance & Accounting, Technology, Marketing & Creative, Legal, and Administrative & Customer Support. The consulting arm is delivered through subsidiary Protiviti, offering specialized consulting in Technology, Risk/Audit/Compliance, Finance & Accounting, and Digital/Marketing domains. The company also offers proprietary AI-powered matching technology (AI-Powered Insights Engine and AI Recommended Client Platform) to enhance candidate-client matching. Supporting products include the annual Robert Half Salary Guide (market research) and a mobile application for job seekers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contract/Flexible Staffing Temporary staffing solutions providing contract talent for short- and long-term projects, including full-time engagement professionals who work as Robert Half employees on client sites.
• Permanent/Full-Time Staffing Direct hire placement services matching candidates with permanent positions, from early career to C-suite executive levels.
• Executive Search Retained executive search services for C-suite, senior management, and board-level placements, with a specialized Board Practice for fiduciary and advisory board roles.
• Technology Consulting (Protiviti) Technology strategy, cloud computing, security and privacy, cybersecurity risk management, emerging technologies, and intelligent automation consulting through subsidiary Protiviti.
• Risk, Audit & Compliance Consulting (Protiviti) Transformation of risk, compliance and audit functions, regulatory compliance, financial crime compliance, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, internal audit, and technology audit through subsidiary Protiviti.
• Finance & Accounting Consulting (Protiviti) Finance function transformation, accounting process optimization, financial reporting remediation, cost management, and M&A integration through subsidiary Protiviti.
• Digital & Marketing Consulting (Protiviti) Digital transformation, customer experience, marketing automation, intelligent automation, and digital product optimization through subsidiary Protiviti.
• Finance & Accounting Staffing Specialized placement services for finance and accounting professionals including accountants, controllers, financial analysts, auditors, and compliance specialists.
• Technology Staffing IT and tech talent placement covering cybersecurity, software development, AI/machine learning, data science, cloud/networking, and enterprise systems roles.
• Marketing & Creative Staffing Placement services for marketing and creative professionals including digital marketing, advertising, design, content, social media, and UX/web roles.
• Legal Staffing Attorney, paralegal, and legal support placement including general counsel, corporate law, contracts management, data protection, and litigation/eDiscovery specialists.
• Administrative & Customer Support Staffing Placement for administrative professionals, customer service representatives, data entry specialists, office managers, and HR support staff.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% of hiring managers report staffing firms have been effective in helping organizations address AI-related hiring challenges
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ProtiviticoreOthersProtiviti is Robert Half's wholly owned global consulting subsidiary, operating 90+ offices in more than 25 countries and serving more than 80% of Fortune 100 companies. Protiviti provides business consulting across technology, risk/compliance/audit, finance transformation, and digital/marketing. Robert Half CEO M. Keith Waddell serves as parent company leadership.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adecco Group: Global staffing and workforce solutions firm offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, and career transition across professional and industrial segments. Closely comparable to Robert Half's contract staffing business and global scale.
• ManpowerGroup: World's third-largest staffing company offering temporary, permanent, and workforce solutions across multiple verticals including finance, IT, and engineering. Directly comparable to Robert Half's diversified staffing model and global footprint.
• Randstad: Dutch-based global staffing leader operating in temporary staffing, permanent placement, and HR services across professional specialties. Closely matches Robert Half's professional staffing vertical and international reach.
• Hays: UK-based specialist recruitment firm focused on professional and skilled trades across finance, technology, legal, and life sciences. Comparable vertical specialization and contract/permanent model.
• Kforce: US-based professional staffing firm focused on technology and finance/accounting placements. Direct overlap with Robert Half's two largest staffing verticals and similar customer base.
• Kelly Services: Global staffing company offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, and workforce solutions across professional, industrial, and educational segments. Comparable diversified staffing model.
• Insight Global: Large US-based staffing firm specializing in IT, finance, accounting, and engineering placements. Directly competes with Robert Half in technology and finance verticals with similar placement model.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm combining executive search, talent acquisition, and leadership development. Overlaps with Robert Half's executive search practice and Protiviti consulting arm.

Emerging players

• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm focused on C-suite and board-level placements. Comparable to Robert Half's executive search practice, though narrower in functional scope.

Broad incumbents

• Recruit Holdings: Japanese global HR technology and staffing conglomerate owning Indeed, Glassdoor, and staffing firms. Comparable through its staffing operations, while its HR technology assets represent a competitive threat to traditional staffing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/roberthalf
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/RobertHalfIntl
• Facebookfacebook.com/roberthalf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/robert-half-intl-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/roberthalf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Robert Half