FirstStaff
FirstStaff (1st Employment) is a privately held Arkansas-based staffing agency, founded in 1973, that places light-industrial, clerical, and professional workers for enterprise and municipal clients across Arkansas and border areas of Oklahoma and Missouri via temporary, seasonal, and direct-hire services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersLittle Rock, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What FirstStaff does
FirstStaff, operating under the legal name 1st Employment, is a private U.S. staffing agency founded in 1973 and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The firm connects job seekers with employers across the light-industrial, clerical/administrative, and professional/executive segments, operating from branch locations in Hot Springs, Springdale, Stilwell, and Southwest City (Missouri), with job postings also reaching Stilwell, Oklahoma. Service lines include short-term, seasonal, long-term, Screen-to-Hire, and Direct Hire placements, with a stated emphasis on pre-screening and pre-training workers before client assignment — a differentiator highlighted in named-client testimonials from enterprises such as Wachter, Schwan's, House of Webster, and Berkley International LLC, as well as municipal clients City of Siloam Springs and City of Bentonville.
The firm distributes services through a B2B sales motion targeting employers (via website forms, direct outreach, and on-site hiring events) and a self-serve job-board channel for job seekers, supplemented by a $50/$50 referral program and a dedicated mobile application (1st Employment App). Application infrastructure is built on the third-party Avionte applicant tracking system (hire.myavionte.com), and the firm holds memberships in the American Staffing Association and National Safety Council and participates in the DHS E-Verify program, positioning it for compliance-sensitive and government-adjacent contracts. No proprietary AI/ML technology or in-house platform development is described in available source data.
FirstStaff generates revenue on a transaction-fee basis, charging employers staffing markups on temporary and seasonal placements and direct-hire fees on permanent placements; the website cites billable hourly wages in the $17–$20.65 range for specific openings. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and no revenue, gross profit, headcount trend, or placement-volume figures are available. The company is privately held with no disclosed parent, institutional investors, or funding rounds, making it a sub-$50M regional staffing operator whose financial scale cannot be triangulated with confidence from the source material.
FirstStaff firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FirstStaff
- Legal name
- 1st Employment
- Website
- https://firststaffnow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- FirstStaff (1st Employment) is a privately held Arkansas-based staffing agency, founded in 1973, that places light-industrial, clerical, and professional workers for enterprise and municipal clients across Arkansas and border areas of Oklahoma and Missouri via temporary, seasonal, and direct-hire services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FirstStaff industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Staffing Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Temporary Help Services (56132), Employment Services (5613)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Generalist Staffing Agencies (BPACACAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Temp-to-Hire Staffing (BPACACAG), Administrative, Clerical & Office Support Direct Hire (BPACAFAF)
Keywords
Where FirstStaff is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Little Rock
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
FirstStaff business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Staffing and Placement Services: Generates revenue through staffing fees charged to employers for providing temporary, seasonal, long-term, and direct hire employees. Revenue derived from payroll management services for placed workers.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
FirstStaff product offering
Product offeringCore offering
1st Employment is a regional staffing agency that recruits, screens, trains, and places workers for Arkansas-area employers. The firm supplies temporary, seasonal, long-term, Screen-to-Hire, and Direct Hire placements concentrated in clerical and light industrial job categories, and runs an executive/professional placement line for higher-level roles. Job seekers access openings through the company website and the 1st Employment mobile app, while employer clients request candidates directly through account management and online request forms.
Product overview
1st Employment (FirstStaff) is a staffing and employment solutions company operating as a unified service platform. The core offerings include Staffing Success Services for employers (covering short-term, seasonal, long-term, Screen-to-Hire, and Direct Hire placements), Professional Placement for executive recruitment, and the 1st Employment App for job seekers to access openings and apply. Additional services include Insurance Enrollment, NWTI Adult Education resources, and Employee Resources/Training materials. The company specializes in clerical and light industrial placements, connecting job seekers with major local employers in the Arkansas region.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Staffing Success Services Employer-focused staffing solutions providing qualified, pre-screened and pre-trained candidates for short-term, seasonal, long-term, Screen-to-Hire, and Direct Hire placements across clerical and light industrial positions.
- Professional Placement Executive and professional recruitment service connecting employers with qualified candidates for higher-level positions beyond clerical and light industrial roles.
- 1st Employment App Mobile application for job seekers to access job openings, submit applications, and manage their employment journey with 1st Employment.
Quantifiable outcome
- In-service and training prior to reporting to clients exceeds other staffing companies
Companies that use FirstStaff
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
FirstStaff technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
FirstStaff partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- E-Verify (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)coreE-Verify is an internet-based system that allows employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their employees. 1st Employment is an E-Verify participant, ensuring legal compliance for all employment verifications.
- National Safety Councilminor1st Employment is a proud member of the National Safety Council, the nation's leading nonprofit safety advocate. Membership demonstrates commitment to workplace safety and injury prevention.
- American Staffing Associationcore1st Employment is a proud member of the American Staffing Association, the nation's largest organization of staffing and recruiting professionals. This membership provides industry representation and best practices.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
FirstStaff competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Randstad: Global staffing and HR services firm offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, and workforce solutions across industrial, clerical, and professional segments. Overlaps with FirstStaff on light-industrial and administrative placements, with broader geographic and service reach.
- Adecco: Global staffing leader providing temporary staffing, permanent placement, and workforce solutions across industrial, clerical, and professional categories. Directly overlaps FirstStaff's light industrial and administrative placement offerings, with broader geographic and segment reach.
- Robert Half: Large staffing firm specializing in professional placement (finance, accounting, technology, legal, administrative). Comparable to FirstStaff on the Professional Placement service line and on administrative/clerical placements, though operating at significantly larger scale.
- Kelly Services: Global staffing and workforce solutions provider with broad overlap on temporary, direct-hire, and professional placement services. Larger and more diversified than FirstStaff but competes in the same light-industrial and administrative categories.
Direct peers
- Aerotek: Allegis Group subsidiary specializing in light industrial, technical, and professional staffing. Direct overlap with FirstStaff on light-industrial and clerical placements, with comparable temp-to-hire and direct-hire service models.
- Staffmark: U.S.-based generalist staffing firm providing light industrial, administrative, and professional placements nationwide. Directly comparable to FirstStaff on service mix, target customer segments (SMB and mid-market employers), and temp-to-hire conversion focus.
- Express Employment Professionals: Headquartered in Oklahoma City with operations across the U.S. and internationally, Express is a direct generalist-staffing peer offering temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct hire placements in light industrial, administrative, and professional categories — the same core service mix as FirstStaff.
- Snelling Staffing: Long-established U.S. staffing network offering temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire placements across light industrial, administrative, and professional categories. Directly comparable to FirstStaff on service breadth and franchise/regional operating model.
Regional players
- HireLevel: Midwestern U.S. regional staffing firm specializing in light industrial and administrative placements. Comparable to FirstStaff on service mix and target employer segments, though operating in a different regional geography.
- CornerStone Staffing: Texas-based regional staffing firm serving Texas and surrounding states with light industrial, clerical, and professional placements. Comparable to FirstStaff on regional generalist model, though operating in an adjacent geography.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
FirstStaff social profiles
Digital presenceFirstStaff compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
FirstStaff financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FirstStaff leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
FirstStaff funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FirstStaff 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 FirstStaff
What does FirstStaff do?
1st Employment is a regional staffing agency that recruits, screens, trains, and places workers for Arkansas-area employers. The firm supplies temporary, seasonal, long-term, Screen-to-Hire, and Direct Hire placements concentrated in clerical and light industrial job categories, and runs an executive/professional placement line for higher-level roles. Job seekers access openings through the company website and the 1st Employment mobile app, while employer clients request candidates directly through account management and online request forms.
Is FirstStaff a public or private company?
FirstStaff is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was FirstStaff founded?
FirstStaff was founded in 1973. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is FirstStaff based?
FirstStaff is headquartered in Little Rock, United States, in the North America region.
How does FirstStaff make money?
One revenue line is on record: staffing and Placement Services.
Who are FirstStaff's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Randstad, Adecco, Robert Half and Kelly Services. Direct peers are Aerotek, Staffmark, Express Employment Professionals and Snelling Staffing. Regional players are HireLevel and CornerStone Staffing.
Does FirstStaff have an API?
No public API is recorded for FirstStaff.
What industry is FirstStaff in?
FirstStaff's product category is Staffing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACACAH, Local & Regional Generalist Staffing Agencies, with a secondary code of BPACACAG, Temp-to-Hire Staffing. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.