Cox Purtell Staffing Services

What Cox Purtell Staffing Services does

Cox Purtell Staffing Services is a Sydney-headquartered, family-owned boutique recruitment agency operating in Australia since 1994. The firm runs three specialist divisions — Corporate Support (HR, sales, marketing, finance and office support roles), Technology & Projects (software engineering, cloud, data & analytics, project services, support services, and AI), and Government (federal, state and local government placements) — serving enterprise, government, not-for-profit, association, and built-environment clients. Its offering is delivered through permanent placement (non-exclusive and retained search), temporary and contract staffing with a stated 98% fill rate, on-site consulting, payroll/employer-of-record services, and a catalogue of add-on modules including skills testing (900+ tests), psychometric testing, the Ability Map profiling tool, assessment centre recruiting, role profile development, and labour-hire skills delivery via Subclass 482 visa sponsorship.

The technology stack is operations-led rather than product-led. Core systems include a proprietary candidate database, the Ability Map competency profiling tool (built around person-environment fit), AI-assisted screening processes, and an Astute Payroll-backed online timesheet portal for temporary workers, supported by a LearnWorlds-hosted candidate learning hub. No public API, SDK, or proprietary AI model is disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, with relationship-driven consultants, money-back and replacement guarantees (12-week for permanent, 4-hour for short-term contract), multi-channel content marketing (blog, newsletters, webinars, whitepapers, industry events), and partnerships with peak industry bodies such as RCSA and FIA. Cox Purtell monetises through placement and contract mark-up fees across permanent, retained, temporary, and payroll engagements, with discounts for not-for-profit and association clients.

Name

Cox Purtell Staffing Services

Legal name

Cox Purtell Staffing Services

Website

https://coxpurtell.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cox Purtell Staffing Services is a Sydney-headquartered, family-owned Australian boutique recruitment agency founded in 1994, placing permanent, temporary, and contract candidates across Corporate Support, Technology & Projects, and Government divisions for enterprise, government, not-for-profit, and association clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing and Recruitment Services

NAICS

Temporary Help Services (561320), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Office & Administrative Temp Staffing (BPACACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payroll Outsourcing & Pay Administration (Multi-country/Managed Payroll) (BPACAKAD), Agent of Record (AOR) / Contractor Engagement Services (BPACAGAB)

Keywords

• Permanent recruitment services
• Temporary staffing solutions
• Labour hire services
• Executive search services
• Recruitment agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Permanent Placement Fees: Contingency-based placement fees for permanent hires, with 12-week replacement guarantee or money-back guarantee
2. Retained Search: End-to-end exclusive recruitment service with 12-week money-back guarantee, post-employment reviews, and preferential fees
3. Temporary/Contract Staffing: Hourly billing for contract workers with fixed rate mark-up, including all insurances, super, and tax. 4-hour money-back guarantee for placements under 1 week
4. Payroll Solutions: Outsourcing payroll for freelance, contract, and temporary workers with fixed rate mark-up per contractor
5. Additional Services: Skills testing (900+ tests), psychometric testing, interview facilities, role profile development, assessment centre recruiting

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cox Purtell Staffing Services is a boutique Australian recruitment agency that places permanent, temporary, and contract staff across three specialist divisions: Corporate Support, Technology & Projects, and Government. It also provides payroll outsourcing, skills and psychometric testing, Ability Map profiling, on-site recruitment support, and Subclass 482 visa sponsorship via its On-Hire Labour Agreement.

Product overview

Cox Purtell Staffing Services is a boutique recruitment agency offering a unified staffing platform across three specialist divisions: Corporate Support (permanent, temporary, and contract staffing across HR, sales, marketing, finance, and office support), Technology & Projects (covering software engineering, cloud services, data & analytics, project services, support services, and AI), and Government (placements across federal, state, and local government on approved panels). The core offering is structured around Permanent Recruitment Solutions (non-exclusive and retained models, both with replacement guarantees) and Temporary & Contract Solutions (with a 98% fill rate and same-day money-back guarantee), supplemented by a suite of optional add-on modules including Payroll Solutions, Skills Testing, Psychometric Testing, Ability Map profiling, Assessment Centre Recruiting, Unbundled Recruiting, Role Profile Development, Interviewing Facilities, Market Conditions Advisory, Annual Salary Reviews, and Labour Hire Skills Delivery (Subclass 482 visa sponsorship). Supporting platforms include a public Job Finder portal, an Astute Payroll-backed Online Timesheet System for temporary staff, and a LearnWorlds-hosted candidate Learning Hub. CP Academy provides internal training for Cox Purtell's own recruiters. The company also publishes whitepapers from its panel event series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Recruitment Solutions End-to-end permanent placement service for employers, available as non-exclusive (contingency) or exclusive retained search. Includes 12-week replacement guarantee, post-employment reviews at 3 and 6 months for retained engagements, and preferential fees for exclusive mandates.
• Temporary & Contract Solutions Short-term staffing covering assignments from half a day to over a year, with a 98% fill rate. Includes a 4-hour money-back guarantee for assignments under one week, and a one-day guarantee for longer assignments. Fixed rate mark-up per contractor with all insurances, super, and tax included.
• On-Site Recruitment Services Cox Purtell consultants are embedded on-site at client premises 1-5 days per week, drawing on the full candidate database and specialist knowledge to support the client's internal HR or recruitment team.
• Payroll Solutions Outsourced payroll service for freelance, contract, and temporary workers. Covers fixed-rate mark-up per contractor, all insurances, superannuation, tax, flexible pay cycles (weekly, fortnightly, monthly), and annual leave tracking.
• Labour Hire Skills Delivery (Subclass 482 Sponsorship) Sponsorship of overseas skilled workers on a Subclass 482 visa via Cox Purtell's On-Hire Labour Agreement with the Department of Home Affairs, with the employee then on-hired to an Australian business. Available in ACT, NSW, VIC, and QLD.
• Skills Testing
• Psychometric Testing Psychometric testing as part of candidate screening, complementing science-based screening processes.
• Ability Map Profiling Competency assessment profiling tool that evaluates both the person and their work environment, enabling organisations to identify high-performer profiles and match candidates to roles.
• Assessment Centre Recruiting Bulk recruitment method using structured tasks and environments to evaluate candidate skills, personality, and aptitude, particularly useful when hiring at scale.
• Unbundled Recruiting Modular recruitment service allowing clients to select only the components they need, such as position description development, psychometric testing, or interview coaching, rather than a full-service engagement.
• Role Profile Development Job description and role profile development service for new positions or significantly changed roles, covering all aspects of the role and its place within the team.
• Interviewing Facilities Modern interview rooms and a boardroom available to book at Cox Purtell's Sydney CBD offices for clients who prefer off-site interviews, with optional refreshments provided.
• Market Conditions Advisory Recruitment market intelligence covering candidate availability, salary benchmarks, and skill trends based on Cox Purtell's market experience.
• Annual Salary Reviews Annual market salary and pay rate overviews for the industry sectors Cox Purtell covers, available to clients on request.
• Technology & Projects Division Recruitment Specialist recruitment covering Software Engineering, Cloud Services, Data & Analytics, Project Services, Support Services, and Artificial Intelligence. Delivered via strategic retainers, one-off contingent, statement-of-work, and project-based retainer models.
• Government Division Recruitment Specialist recruitment across Federal, State, and Local Government, operating on approved panels including WOAG, NSW SCM0007, NSW SCM0012, and others. Covers corporate services, policy/program/project management, and technology roles.
• Job Finder Portal Public-facing job search portal allowing candidates to browse and apply for live positions across Australia, filterable by location, specialization, and work type.
• Online Timesheet System Candidate-facing weekly timesheet submission portal built on Astute Payroll's platform, used by temporary staff to record hours worked. Timesheets are due every Friday.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% fill rate for temporary and contract placements
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA)coreOthersCox Purtell is an organisational member of FIA. Staff are FIA Code trained, providing relevant insights into ethical, best-practice professional fundraising while keeping across current industry trends and challenges. This partnership enhances their Not-For-Profit recruitment capabilities.
• RCSA (Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association)coreOthersCorporate member of RCSA with StaffSure certification. RCSA is the peak body for the recruitment and staffing industry in Australia and New Zealand.
• Whole of Australian Government (WOAG)coreOthersFederal approved scheme for recruitment services across Australian Government departments
• People Panel Phase 2coreOthersAPS1-6, EL1-2 SES Temporary Recruitment panel approved scheme
• Digital Marketplace (Buy ICT)minorOthersFederal approved scheme for ICT recruitment services
• NSW SCM0007 Contingent WorkforcecoreOthersNSW State Government approved panel for contingent workforce recruitment
• NSW SCM0012 Talent Acquisition SchemecoreOthersNSW State Government approved panel for talent acquisition services
• GGS0060 - QLD State Gov RecruitmentminorOthersQueensland State Government approved recruitment panel
• Local Government Procurement (LGP) PanelminorOthersLocal government procurement panel for recruitment services
• Southern Sydney Region of Councils (SSROC) PanelminorOthersRegional council consortium panel for recruitment services
• Comensura Scheme for Local CouncilsminorOthersNational local council recruitment panel scheme

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half Australia: Global staffing firm specialising in finance, accounting, technology, and office support placements. Directly comparable in Cox Purtell's Corporate Support vertical (HR, finance, office support) and Technology & Projects division, with deeper brand reach and international infrastructure.
• Chandler Macleod: Major Australian recruiter with a particularly strong government panel position and broader workforce solutions. Highly comparable to Cox Purtell's Government vertical and temporary staffing model, including labour hire licensing across multiple jurisdictions.
• Michael Page Australia: Global specialist recruiter with strong Australian footprint in professional permanent and contract placements across finance, HR, technology, and marketing. Comparable to Cox Purtell's professional permanent placement model with deeper international networks.
• Randstad Australia: Global staffing giant with comprehensive Australian operations across corporate, government, and technology verticals. Comparable to Cox Purtell's full-stack offering, though at materially larger scale and broader geography.
• Adecco Australia: One of the world's largest staffing firms with broad Australian coverage across office, industrial, and professional placements. Comparable to Cox Purtell's temp/contract and corporate support verticals, with considerably larger volume capacity.
• Hays Australia: One of Australia's largest specialist recruitment firms with a broad portfolio across IT, government, construction, and corporate support. Directly comparable in the Government and Built Environment verticals where Cox Purtell is active, but operates at significantly greater scale across more regions.

Direct peers

• Talent International: Specialist IT recruitment firm operating across Australia with strong government panel positions. Directly comparable in Cox Purtell's Technology & Projects and Government divisions, with deeper tech-only focus and broader geographic coverage.
• Peoplebank: Australian IT and digital recruitment specialist with deep government panel access. Highly comparable to Cox Purtell's technology and government verticals with similar on-site and contract staffing models.
• Hoban Recruitment: Australian boutique agency specialising in government, professional, and trades recruitment with multiple panel positions. Compares to Cox Purtell on boutique positioning, Government vertical, and temp/contract staffing model.
• Hudson Australia: Specialist talent solutions provider with strong corporate support, government, and technology divisions in Australia. Directly comparable vertical structure to Cox Purtell's three divisions (Corporate Support, Technology, Government) and similar money-back placement guarantees.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CoxPurtell
• Facebookfacebook.com/CoxPurtell
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coxpurtell

Compliance8 records

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 Cox Purtell Staffing Services