ACTIEF Personnel Management

What ACTIEF Personnel Management does

ACTIEF Personalmanagement GmbH is a German staffing and personnel services company headquartered in Karlsruhe, founded in 1989 as ISU Personaldienstleistungen GmbH and rebranded under the ACTIEF Group in 2016. The company operates a network of more than 80 branch offices across Germany delivering five core services: temporary employment (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung), direct personnel placement (Personalvermittlung) on a success-fee basis, Master Vendor coordination of multiple staffing agencies, On-Site Management embedding ACTIEF representatives at client sites, and Temp-to-Perm transitional placement. ACTIEF serves both an industrial-technical client base (manufacturing, logistics, skilled trades, warehousing) and an office/commercial client base (administration, finance, IT, engineering, management placements), with named customers including DHL Delivery Leipzig, Mondi Innocat, Henglein, WKV Kunststoffverarbeitung, IMB, Garant Spedition, and ACU Pharma.

The company's revenue model combines transaction-fee billing on temporary placements (margin on wages billed to clients) and permanent placements (success-based commission), with managed-services fees for Master Vendor and On-Site Management engagements. Technology infrastructure is centered on the Carerix recruiting software platform for applicant tracking and multi-board job distribution, supplemented by a WhatsApp-based candidate application workflow and LinkedIn Insight Tag for marketing attribution. Distribution is overwhelmingly physical and sales-led through local branch teams across more than 80 German cities, supported by employer-brand presence on LinkedIn, XING, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Kununu (where ACTIEF has held TOP COMPANY status for three consecutive years through 2025).

ACTIEF is privately held as a GmbH with three Managing Directors (Patrick Heinig, Martin Kästner, Sylvio Sperling), no disclosed external private equity or venture backing, and has grown through both organic branch expansion and tuck-in acquisitions including Fischer & Funke (2007 integration), Timecraft and On-Site (2017), and AB Zeitpersonal (2017 acquisition, 2019 statutory merger). The group ranked 16th on the Lünendonk list of leading German personnel service providers in 2018 with approximately 7,000 employees and is consistently recognized among the TOP 20 staffing firms in Germany by industry analysts.

Name

ACTIEF Personnel Management

Legal name

ACTIEF Personalmanagement GmbH

Website

https://actief-personal.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

ACTIEF Personalmanagement is a German staffing and personnel services company operating over 80 branches nationwide, providing temporary employment, permanent placement, master vendor, and on-site management services to industrial-technical and office/commercial clients across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing and Recruitment Services

NAICS

Temporary Help Services (561320), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Generalist Staffing Agencies (BPACACAH)

Keywords

• Temporary staffing
• Personnel placement
• Master vendor management
• On-site workforce management
• Recruitment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlsruhe

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices75 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Temporary Employment (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung): Provides temporary workers to companies experiencing staffing shortages or project-based needs. Revenue generated through margin on worker wages billed to client companies.
2. Personnel Placement (Personalvermittlung): Direct recruitment services placing candidates in permanent positions. Success-based fee model where commission is only charged after successful placement.
3. Master Vendor Management: Centralized management of multiple staffing vendors for large companies with high temporary staffing needs. Revenue based on managed volume.
4. On-Site Management: Dedicated ACTIEF representative stationed at client site to coordinate all staffing activities and co-partners.
5. Temp to Perm: Hybrid model combining temporary employment with potential for permanent hire, allowing companies to evaluate workers before commitment.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ACTIEF Personalmanagement GmbH is a German staffing and recruitment services company that places industrial-technical and office/commercial professionals at client companies. The portfolio comprises five core services: Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (temporary employment/staff leasing), Personalvermittlung (direct permanent placement), Master Management (master vendor coordination), On-Site-Management (dedicated on-site staffing coordination), and Temp to Perm (trial-based transition from temporary to permanent hire).

Product overview

ACTIEF Personnel Management is a staffing and recruitment services company offering a portfolio of five core services: Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (temporary employment/staff leasing), Personalvermittlung (direct personnel placement), Master Management (master vendor services), On-Site-Management (on-site coordination), and Temp to perm (temporary-to-permanent placement). The company operates primarily in the German market, placing both industrial-technical workers and office/administrative professionals at client companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Temp to perm: A business model where new employees can work temporarily before transitioning to permanent employment, allowing companies and employees to evaluate fit before contract signing.
• Master Management

Products and services

• Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (Temporary Employment)
• Personalvermittlung (Personnel Placement)
• Master Management (Master Vendor)
• On-Site-Management
• Temp to Perm

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% recommendation rate among employees on Kununu employer review platform
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Timecraft (Bavaria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Timecraft staffing company from Bavaria became partner of ACTIEF in January 2017 and was subsequently rebranded to ACTIEF Personalmanagement in 2018.
• On-Site (Bavaria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017On-Site staffing company from Bavaria joined ACTIEF in January 2017 and was rebranded to ACTIEF Personalmanagement in 2018.
• AB Zeitpersonal GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017ACTIEF acquired AB Zeitpersonal GmbH from Oberhausen in 2017, expanding their presence in the German staffing market.
• ACTIEF Interim BelgiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership established in 2015 with ACTIEF Interim from Belgium, which later led to the rebranding of ISU and Fischer & Funke to ACTIEF Personalmanagement in Germany.
• UVEX SafetyminorOthersUVEX provides high-quality personal protective equipment (PPE) to ACTIEF employees as First Supplier partner, following UVEX's 'protecting people' motto to meet high safety standards for workers placed at client sites.
• Carerix B.V.coreTechnology or IntegrationCarerix provides recruiting software that supports ACTIEF's applicant management, job posting distribution to multiple platforms, and application processing workflows.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Persona Service: German staffing company offering temporary employment, permanent placement, and on-site management across industrial-technical and commercial segments. Highly comparable mid-sized peer with a similar branch-driven GTM model.
• ManpowerGroup Deutschland: German arm of ManpowerGroup, a global staffing leader. Directly competes with ACTIEF in temporary employment, permanent placement, and managed services (including Master Vendor/RPO), with comparable coverage of industrial-technical and office sectors.
• Hays Deutschland: German arm of Hays plc, a UK-listed specialist recruiter. Particularly comparable to ACTIEF in contract and permanent placement for technical, IT, and engineering roles — overlapping with ACTIEF's growing OFFICE/Engineering segment.
• DIS AG: Leading German mid-market staffing firm specializing in office, commercial, and technical placements. Closest scale-comparable German peer to ACTIEF, with similar temp, permanent placement, and on-site management offerings across a national branch network.
• Randstad Deutschland: German subsidiary of Randstad N.V., the global staffing leader. Directly competes with ACTIEF across temporary employment, permanent placement, and master vendor services for both industrial and office clients in Germany — the largest direct peer by scale.
• Tempton: German mid-market staffing firm providing temporary employment, permanent placement, and managed workforce solutions. Comparable in scale and service mix to ACTIEF, with strong overlap in industrial-technical and office-commercial verticals.
• Grafton Deutschland: German arm of Grafton Group (Ireland). Provides temporary staffing and permanent placement services with similar industrial-technical and office coverage, directly competing with ACTIEF in the German mid-market segment.
• Robert Half Deutschland: German operations of Robert Half International, a global specialist in finance, accounting, and office staffing. Closely comparable to ACTIEF's OFFICE business field for permanent and temporary placement in commercial/finance roles.
• PageGroup Deutschland: German operations of PageGroup, an international recruitment firm. Particularly comparable to ACTIEF's OFFICE business line, focusing on permanent placement and specialist staffing for finance, engineering, IT, and management roles.
• Adecco Germany: German operations of Adecco Group, one of the world's largest staffing firms. Competes directly with ACTIEF across Arbeitnehmerüberlassung and direct placement, with similar broad sector coverage including industrial-technical and office-commercial segments.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/company/actiefgroupgmbh
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCe8UDY4EIwkvhh5dWTOy9LQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/actiefpersonalmanagement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/actief-personalmanagement-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/actiefpersonalmanagement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 ACTIEF Personnel Management