Unique

What Unique does

Unique is a Belgian HR services firm headquartered in Antwerp, founded in 1963 and operating as the general-staffing brand within RGF Staffing Belgium alongside sister brands Unique Career (career guidance for the long-term unemployed) and Express Medical (specialized medical staffing). The company delivers recruitment and selection, temporary staffing, payroll administration, project sourcing, assessments, health and safety consulting, and HR outsourcing through a network of approximately 60 branches across Flanders, Brussels, and Wallonia, organized around six vertical specializations: Office, Technicum, Customer Care, Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, and Maritime.

Service delivery is supported by digital infrastructure including the My Unique mobile app for workers, the UPoint client portal, and online CV-builder tools, layered on top of the physical branch network. The company's customer base spans diverse industries — healthcare (Labcorp), telecommunications (Orange), energy (Q8), environmental services (Vanheede), insurance (AG Insurance), food production (Agristo), retail (MediaMarkt), construction materials (Soprema), office supplies (Lyreco), and fashion retail (ZEB) — drawn primarily as top employers to support candidate placement and employer branding.

Unique operates a staffing services business model, monetizing through bill rates on temporary placements, permanent placement fees, payroll and HR outsourcing fees, and project-based consulting engagements. It serves a two-sided market: candidates (including students, flexi-job seekers, and newcomers through programs like Start to Work) seeking employment, and Belgian employers across SMB and enterprise segments requiring flexible workforce solutions. The company is led by CEO An Aelbrecht, holds Federgon membership, and carries certified temp-employment recognition numbers (e.g., VG.458/U, VG.602/U) that authorize its regulated staffing operations.

Name

Unique

Legal name

Unique nv

Website

https://unique.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Unique is a Belgian HR services firm providing recruitment, temporary staffing, payroll administration, project sourcing, and HR consulting across six vertical specializations (Office, Technicum, Customer Care, Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, Maritime) through approximately 60 branches in Flanders, Brussels, and Wallonia, serving SMB and enterprise clients since 1963.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing and Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Temporary Help Services (561320)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

National Generalist Staffing Firms (BPACACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)

Keywords

• Recruitment services
• Temporary staffing
• Permanent placement
• Payroll administration
• HR consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerpen

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recruitment and Selection Services: Placement of permanent candidates with employers, typically charging a fee based on the candidate's annual salary
2. Temporary Staffing (Uitzenden): Supply of temporary workers to employers, generating margin on worker wages
3. Payrolling Services: Administrative payroll services for employers who prefer to manage their own workforce while outsourcing payroll processing
4. Project Sourcing: Project-based staffing solutions for specific business needs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Unique is a Belgian recruitment and selection agency that connects job seekers with employers for temporary and permanent positions. The company supplies temporary staffing (Uitzenden), permanent recruitment and selection (Werving & Selectie), payroll administration (Payrolling), and project-based staffing (Projectsourcing) to employers across Belgium, supported by a candidate portal (My Unique) and a temporary worker scheduling portal (UPoint). Services are delivered across six specializations: Office, Technicum, Customer Care, Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, and Maritiem.

Product overview

Unique is a Belgian recruitment and staffing company (hr-dienstverlener) operating as the primary brand within the Unique Group (alongside Unique Career and Express Medical). The company offers a unified staffing platform comprising a job board and candidate matching for both temporary and permanent positions, supported by a portfolio of HR service modules including temporary staffing (Uitzenden), permanent recruitment (Werving & Selectie), payroll administration (Payrolling), project-based staffing (Projectsourcing), assessments, health and safety (Preventie & Veiligheid), and digital administration tools. Complementary offerings include Flexi-Jobs for hospitality/retail sectors, Start to Work for newcomers, and student job placement programs. Candidates can access the My Unique portal and mobile app (iOS/Android) for 24/7 self-service management of profiles, payslips, and contracts. The UPoint portal/app serves temporary workers managed through partner staffing agencies. Unique's internal Career Tracks framework provides transparent growth paths for its own employees. The platform serves both job seekers and employers across six specialization areas: Office, Technicum, Customer Care, Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, and Maritiem (Maritime).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Uitzenden (Temporary Staffing) Temporary staffing service that connects employers with qualified temporary workers to meet short-term, seasonal, or project-based staffing needs across Belgium.
• Werving & Selectie (Recruitment & Selection) Permanent placement service that matches candidates with employers for long-term employment, including executive and specialized role recruitment.
• Payrolling Payroll administration outsourcing service handling salary processing, social security declarations, and employment contract management for employers who prefer to manage their own workforce.
• Projectsourcing Project-based staffing solution that sources specialized professionals for defined-term projects, combining the benefits of temporary staffing with targeted expertise.
• Assessments Psychometric and skills assessment services that evaluate candidates and employees to support hiring decisions and career development.
• Preventie & Veiligheid (Health & Safety) Workplace safety and prevention services including risk assessments, safety training, and compliance with Belgian labour regulations.
• Flexi-Jobs Flexible job arrangement service for hospitality and retail sectors, allowing supplementary employment for pensioners and students with favourable tax treatment in Belgium.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of employees consider Unique a Great Place To Work
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• FedergonminorOthersFedergon is the Belgian professional association for HR services companies. Unique holds memberships including Certified Interim and RSS (Reconversion and Social Sustainability) labels.
• Express MedicalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpress Medical is part of the Unique Group alongside Unique and Unique Career, providing healthcare-specific staffing services within the broader HR services platform.
• Unique CareercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnique Career is part of the Unique Group alongside Unique and Express Medical, providing specialized career services within the broader HR services platform.
• Great Place To WorkminorOthersGreat Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Unique has been certified as a Great Place to Work for 8 consecutive years and won awards including Best Workplace recognition.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tempo-Team Belgium: Belgian staffing agency offering temporary work, permanent recruitment, and HR services. Part of the Recruit group family alongside Unique/RGF, providing directly comparable generalist staffing services in Belgium.
• Adecco Belgium: Belgian operations of global staffing giant Adecco, providing temporary staffing, permanent placement, and workforce solutions across multiple sectors. Direct competitor to Unique in the Belgian generalist staffing market with similar multi-vertical coverage.
• Randstad Belgium: The Belgian arm of global staffing leader Randstad, offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, and HR solutions across Belgium. Directly competes with Unique in the same national market with overlapping service lines including temp staffing, R&S, and outplacement.
• SD Worx: Belgian-headquartered HR and payroll services provider offering payroll outsourcing, HR consulting, and workforce management solutions. Overlaps with Unique's payrolling and broader HR services portfolio in the Belgian market.
• ManpowerGroup Belgium: Belgian subsidiary of global workforce solutions leader ManpowerGroup, offering staffing, recruitment, and career development services. Direct competitor in Belgian temp staffing and permanent placement.
• Robert Half Belgium: Specialized staffing firm placing professionals in finance, accounting, technology, and administrative roles. Overlaps with Unique's Accounting & Finance and Office verticals with a more specialized, higher-skill positioning.
• Start People: Belgian staffing firm focused on temporary employment and HR services across diverse sectors. Directly competes with Unique in the Belgian temp staffing market with similar candidate-employer matching offerings.
• Hays Belgium: Global specialist recruitment firm operating in Belgium with focus on professional and skilled trades. Comparable to Unique's specialized verticals (HR, Finance, Technical) with a more senior/specialist candidate focus.
• Accent Jobs: Belgian staffing and recruitment agency providing temporary staffing, permanent placement, and HR services across multiple industries. Directly comparable generalist staffing competitor operating in Belgium.
• PageGroup Belgium: Global recruitment group operating in Belgium under Page Personnel, Michael Page, and Page Executive brands. Provides permanent and temporary placement in professional disciplines directly competing with Unique's specialist verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Unique_belgium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Unique