Hays
Hays is a global specialist recruitment firm placing permanent, temporary, and contract professionals across 15 industry verticals for SMEs and multinational employers, with 250+ offices in 30 countries and a proprietary VMS platform.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1968
- HeadquartersAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hays does
Hays is a global specialist recruitment firm founded in 1968 and operated through its publicly listed UK parent Hays plc on the London Stock Exchange. The company places professionals in permanent, temporary (flex), and contracting roles across 15 specialized divisions including Accounting & Finance, Engineering, IT & Technology, Life Sciences, Logistics, HR, Legal, Marketing, Purchasing, Sales, and Supply Chain. It serves both sides of the labor market — job seekers via free CV submission, career advice content, and job search tools, and employer organizations ranging from SMEs to multinationals via contingent and retained recruitment.
Hays generates revenue through five primary streams: permanent placement on a contingency ('no cure no pay') basis, flex/temporary staffing on margin-based billing, contracting/freelance managed services, enterprise RPO/MSP/Total Talent Management outsourcing contracts, and professional services such as employer branding and programmatic job advertising. The technology backbone includes a proprietary Vendor Management System called 3 Story Software, which automates the contingent workforce process from requisition to invoicing, supplemented by a certified partnership with Beeline for additional VMS capability. Distribution is anchored by 250+ offices across 30 countries with 12,100 global employees (including 180 specialists across two offices in the Netherlands), enabling cross-border placements and serving enterprise accounts through dedicated Enterprise Solutions teams.
The Dutch subsidiary, headquartered in Amsterdam with a secondary office in Tilburg, has operated for more than 35 years and is a stated top-3 player in Dutch RPO and MSP services. Go-to-market combines consultant-led specialist recruitment, enterprise field sales for outsourcing contracts, and direct-to-consumer digital self-service via the hays.nl job platform. Supporting marketing infrastructure includes an 8-million-follower LinkedIn presence, a Career Coach blog, salary benchmarking tools, and recurring publications such as the Hays Journal, Salary Guide, Global Skills Index, and Life Sciences Talent Report.
Hays firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hays
- Legal name
- Hays plc
- Website
- https://hays.nl
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1968
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Hays is a global specialist recruitment firm placing permanent, temporary, and contract professionals across 15 industry verticals for SMEs and multinational employers, with 250+ offices in 30 countries and a proprietary VMS platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hays industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialist Recruitment & Staffing Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Job Placement, Matching & Career Navigation Services (EDAAAOAL)
Keywords
Where Hays is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amsterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Hays business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Permanent Recruitment (Perm): Contingency-based permanent placement services where clients pay only upon successful placement. 'No cure no pay' basis ensures clients only pay when a candidate is successfully placed.
- Flex/Temporary Recruitment: Temporary staffing services placing workers with client organizations. Revenue generated through margin on hourly rates charged to clients.
- Contracting/Freelancer Services: Services for independent contractors and freelancers, including brokering, contract management, and administrative handling. Handles payroll services and compliance for contractors.
- RPO and MSP Solutions: Recruitment Process Outsourcing and Managed Service Provider solutions for enterprise clients. Full or modular outsourcing of recruitment processes, typically on a managed services contract basis.
- Employer Branding Services: 360-degree employer branding campaigns including email marketing, microsites, testimonial videos, recruitment content, and graphic design. Additional service offered alongside recruitment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Permanent Recruitment - Contingency fee model |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Hays product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hays is a global specialist recruitment company that places qualified professionals in permanent, temporary (flex), and contract positions across 15+ vertical specialisms including IT, Accounting & Finance, Engineering, Life Sciences, Logistics, HR, Legal, and Sales. The company also delivers enterprise workforce solutions encompassing Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Managed Service Provider (MSP), Total Talent Management, Vendor Management System (VMS) technology via its proprietary 3 Story Software, and Employer Branding services. Revenue is generated through contingency-based placement fees and managed services contracts with employer organizations.
Product overview
Hays operates as a unified recruitment services platform offering a comprehensive portfolio of talent acquisition solutions across 15 specialized divisions. The core offering consists of permanent, flex (temporary), and contracting recruitment services, supported by enterprise outsourcing solutions including RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), MSP (Managed Service Provider), and Total Talent Management. The company provides proprietary technology through its 3 Story Software Vendor Management System for contingent workforce tracking and management. Supporting services include Employer Branding Studio for talent attraction campaigns, Programmatic Job Advertising for multi-channel vacancy distribution, and specialized recruitment across Accounting & Finance, Engineering, IT & Technology, Life Sciences, Logistics, HR, Legal, Marketing, Purchasing, Sales, and Supply Chain. The portfolio is complemented by knowledge resources including the Hays Journal, Salary Guide, Future of Work Report, and Life Sciences Talent Report, plus practical tools like the Contractor Toolkit for freelancers. With operations spanning over 250 offices in 30 countries and a stated top-3 position in RPO and MSP services globally, Hays functions as a one-stop partner for organizations seeking permanent placement, flexible staffing, and comprehensive workforce management solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hays Enterprise Solutions: Recruitment outsourcing solutions including RPO, MSP, Total Talent Management, Vendor Management System, and Contract Management services for medium-sized and large organisations worldwide
- Employer Branding Studio
- 3 Story Software
- Hays Young Professionals
- Hays Flex
Products and services
- Permanent Recruitment Traditional recruitment service placing candidates in permanent positions, matching qualified professionals with organizations seeking full-time employees across various industries and specialisms. Operated on a contingency 'no cure no pay' basis.
- Flex Recruitment
Quantifiable outcome
- More than 220,000 professionals placed in temporary jobs last year
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hays
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hays technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Hays partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hays competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Randstad: Dutch-headquartered global staffing and HR services company with extensive operations across permanent, temporary, and RPO/MSP lines of business—Hays' most direct domestic and international competitor.
- PageGroup: Global specialist recruitment firm (parent of Michael Page) operating across the same mid-market professional specialisms as Hays, including permanent and contract placement in disciplines like finance, legal, IT, and engineering.
- Robert Half International: Specialized staffing and consulting firm with deep presence in finance, technology, and administrative recruitment—directly comparable to Hays' specialized vertical model.
- SThree: Specialist STEM-focused recruitment firm with a comparable sector-specialist model to Hays, particularly in IT, engineering, and life sciences contracting and permanent placement.
- Robert Walters: Specialist professional recruitment group operating across multiple countries with a similar sector-specialist model to Hays, focused on permanent and contract placement for mid-to-senior professionals.
Broad incumbents
- ManpowerGroup: Largest global staffing and workforce solutions provider offering permanent, temporary, RPO, and talent advisory services at a scale several times Hays', with overlapping enterprise RPO/MSP offerings.
- The Adecco Group: Global leader in workforce solutions with full generalist staffing plus RPO/MSP capabilities, competing with Hays across both enterprise contracts and specialist verticals.
- Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a major executive search and RPO business, overlapping with Hays in senior-level placement and enterprise talent solutions.
Emerging players
- Cielo: Pure-play global RPO provider offering end-to-end recruitment outsourcing—a direct competing offering in the segment where Hays Enterprise Solutions competes.
- Alexander Mann Solutions: Global talent acquisition and RPO/MSP specialist competing for the same enterprise outsourcing mandates that anchor Hays Enterprise Solutions' top-3 NL position.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hays social profiles
Digital presenceHays financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hays leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hays subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Hays funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hays M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hays
What does Hays do?
Hays is a global specialist recruitment company that places qualified professionals in permanent, temporary (flex), and contract positions across 15+ vertical specialisms including IT, Accounting & Finance, Engineering, Life Sciences, Logistics, HR, Legal, and Sales. The company also delivers enterprise workforce solutions encompassing Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Managed Service Provider (MSP), Total Talent Management, Vendor Management System (VMS) technology via its proprietary 3 Story Software, and Employer Branding services. Revenue is generated through contingency-based placement fees and managed services contracts with employer organizations.
Is Hays a public or private company?
Hays is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Hays founded?
Hays was founded in 1968. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Hays based?
Hays is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Hays make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Permanent Recruitment (Perm) is the primary driver. The others are flex/Temporary Recruitment, contracting/Freelancer Services, RPO and MSP Solutions and employer Branding Services.
Who are Hays's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Randstad, PageGroup, Robert Half International, SThree and Robert Walters. Broad incumbents are ManpowerGroup, The Adecco Group and Korn Ferry. Emerging players are Cielo and Alexander Mann Solutions.
Does Hays have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hays.
What industry is Hays in?
Hays's product category is Specialist Recruitment & Staffing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAOAL, Job Placement, Matching & Career Navigation Services. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.