What Start People does

Start People is a Dutch generalist staffing and recruitment agency founded in 1977, operating as a subsidiary of RGF Staffing the Netherlands, itself part of Recruit Holdings (Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed). The company connects job seekers with employers across all 12 Dutch provinces through a hybrid of physical branch offices (12+ locations including Almere, Breda, Rotterdam, Groningen, Eindhoven, Nijmegen, Arnhem, Enschede, Emmen, Den Bosch, Drachten, Doetinchem), a website job board with multilingual support (Dutch, English, German, Polish), a self-service candidate portal (MijnStartPeople), and a WhatsApp-based AI recruitment assistant (JARA). Service lines for employers cover temporary staffing (uitzenden), detachment, recruitment and selection (werving en selectie), freelance/ZZP placement, seasonal workers, embedded inhouse services, and a 24/7 availability service. An innovative community outreach channel — a weekly staffing desk in the Bibliotheek van Purmerend since April 2024 — extends reach to non-traditional job seekers after the closure of the company's own Purmerend branch.

The business model is a professional-services staffing agency: Start People earns placement and margin fees by matching temporary and permanent workers with client organizations under ABU CAO and client-specific collective agreements, with added value capture from training and certification programs delivered via the Doorzaam sector fund and the Stichting Perspectiefverklaringen mortgage-access framework. Customer segments span both public sector (COA, Ministerie van Defensie, UWV, IND, CJIB, Openbaar Ministerie, DUO, Reclassering Nederland, multiple gemeenten) and private enterprise (GEODIS, Abbott, FrieslandCampina, UPS, Zwanenberg, Alliander, Foot Locker, DOC Kaas) across industry, logistics, government, business services, MKB, and education verticals. The company generates candidate flow through open enrollment, its website, branch offices, library outreach, and content marketing via a knowledge center and active social channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram). Underlying technology is a conventional staffing platform — online job board, candidate portal, and AI-assisted matching via JARA — with no disclosed proprietary ML models, data assets, or research output.

Name

Start People

Legal name

Start People

Website

https://startpeople.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Start People is a Dutch generalist staffing and recruitment agency, founded in 1977, placing temporary and permanent workers with employers across the Netherlands through a 12+ branch network, a multilingual job board, an AI WhatsApp assistant (JARA), and a library-based outreach channel. It serves both public-sector clients and enterprise customers as a subsidiary of RGF Staffing Netherlands (Recruit Holdings).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing Services

NAICS

Temporary Help Services (561320), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Temporary Help Services (56132)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Generalist Staffing Agencies (BPACACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clerical & Customer Support Temp Staffing (BPACACAC), Office & Administrative Temp Staffing (BPACACAA), Administrative, Clerical & Office Support Direct Hire (BPACAFAF)

Keywords

• Temporary staffing services
• Permanent recruitment
• Workforce solutions
• Secondment services
• Freelance placement

Headquarters

HQ city

Venlo

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Staffing and Recruitment Services: Start People generates revenue by placing temporary and permanent workers with client organizations. The company earns fees for matching job seekers with employers across its specializations in industry, logistics, government, business services, SME, and education sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Start People is a Dutch staffing and recruitment agency (uitzendbureau) that matches job seekers with employers across the Netherlands. It offers temporary staffing (uitzenden), secondment/detachment (detacheren), permanent recruitment and selection (werving en selectie), freelance/ZZP placement, and seasonal worker staffing, supported by a nationwide branch network, an online job board, and on-site inhouse services.

Product overview

Start People is a Dutch staffing and recruitment agency that operates as a platform connecting job seekers with employers across the Netherlands. The core offering is the Start People Uitzendbureau staffing service, supported by the MijnStartPeople self-service candidate portal and JARA, an AI-powered recruitment assistant that guides candidates through applications via WhatsApp. The service modules include Detacheren (detachment), Uitzenden (staffing), Werving en Selectie (recruitment & selection), ZZP/Freelance, Vakantiekrachten (holiday workers), Inhouse Services, 24/7 Bereikbaarheidsservice, and Opleidingen en Training. Additional offerings include the Doorzaam training program and innovative community services like the library-based employment bureau in Purmerend. Job Alerts enable candidates to receive notifications about matching vacancies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Temporary Staffing (Uitzenden) Traditional temporary staffing service that matches workers with employers for short-term or flexible work assignments across sectors including industry, logistics, government, business services, SME, and education.
• Detachment (Detacheren) Temporary staffing service placing professionals with client organizations for extended periods, often with the possibility of permanent employment.
• Permanent Recruitment (Werving en Selectie) Direct recruitment service for finding and selecting qualified candidates for permanent positions on behalf of client organizations.
• ZZP / Freelance Placement Service connecting freelance professionals (zzp'ers) with organizations seeking independent contractors.
• Seasonal / Holiday Workers (Vakantiekrachten) Staffing service specifically for seasonal and holiday workers across client industries.
• Inhouse Services On-site recruitment and staffing services where Start People consultants work directly within client organizations, providing dedicated staffing support at the client location.
• 24/7 Availability Service (Bereikbaarheidsservice) Round-the-clock availability service for employers needing staffing support outside regular business hours.
• Education and Training (Opleidingen en Training) Training and development programs for temporary workers, including access to Doorzaam fund resources for career development, learning, health, and finances.

Named customers24 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bibliotheek van PurmerendminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Since April 2024, Start People has partnered with the Bibliotheek van Purmerend (Purmerend public library). Every Tuesday, a corner of the library transforms into a staffing agency desk where Start People recruiters help job seekers with CVs, application tips, and vacancy information. This low-threshold initiative reaches diverse groups including youth, over-50s, and people with a migration background.
• RGF StaffingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStart People is part of RGF Staffing, a staffing group operating in the Dutch market with a focus on HR services and diversity. RGF Staffing is itself part of Recruit Holdings (Tokyo, Japan), a global HR services company.
• Recruit HoldingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecruit Holdings (Tokyo, Japan) is the ultimate parent company of RGF Staffing and Start People. It is a global player with a strong focus on digital HR services.
• Unique (sister company)minorOthersFollowing the closure of Start People's Purmerend branch after corona, Unique occupied the premises, allowing Start People to remain one day per week. When Unique moved to Amsterdam in March 2024, Start People sought the library partnership.
• Doorzaam (Uitzendbranche fonds)minorOthersStart People connects its flex workers to Doorzaam, the sector fund for the staffing industry. Doorzaam supports workers in career development, learning, health, and finances, offering various programs throughout the year to help maintain vitality and employability.
• Stichting PerspectiefverklaringenminorOthersStart People facilitates the Perspectiefverklaring (Perspective Declaration) for flex workers who have worked a minimum of 26 weeks through the agency, improving their chances of obtaining a mortgage by demonstrating income stability.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Randstad: Dutch-founded global staffing leader offering temporary, permanent, and inhouse services across the same sectors as Start People; the most direct head-to-head competitor in the Netherlands.
• Unique (RGF Staffing): Sister brand within RGF Staffing offering temp, permanent, and secondment staffing in the Netherlands; overlaps materially with Start People's service portfolio and target clients.
• Tempo-Team: Major Dutch generalist staffing agency competing directly with Start People across temp, perm, and inhouse services across all provinces.
• ManpowerGroup Netherlands: Global staffing firm with a large Dutch operation providing temporary staffing, permanent placement, and recruitment process outsourcing across the same sectors as Start People.
• ASA Talent: Dutch staffing brand under the Recruit Holdings / RGF Staffing umbrella; directly overlaps with Start People in offering temporary staffing and secondment services in the Netherlands.
• Brunel International: Dutch-headquartered specialist staffing provider focused on engineering, IT, and project-based placements; comparable in being a sizable NL-listed HR services player with similar secondment/detachering offerings.
• Yacht (Randstad): Yacht is Randstad's Dutch brand for higher-skilled detachering and recruitment, particularly in government and technical roles; competes with Start People's overheid and zakelijke dienstverlening specializations.

Broad incumbents

• Hays Netherlands: Global recruitment specialist covering permanent and contract placements; provides overlap with Start People's werving & selectie and professional detachering offerings in the Dutch market.
• Michael Page Netherlands: Global professional recruitment firm active in the Netherlands; competes with Start People for mid-to-senior permanent placements across administrative and commercial functions.
• Robert Half Netherlands: Global staffing and recruitment firm with a Dutch presence focused on finance, admin, and IT placements; directly comparable to Start People in office/administrative and customer support staffing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/startpeoplenederland
• LinkedInnl.linkedin.com/company/start-people
• Instagraminstagram.com/startpeoplenl
• Xx.com/startpeople

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Start People