What Humanity does

Humanity is a privately held, founder-owned professional services firm established in 2016 and headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company operates a three-pillar service model—People Solutions (HR Excellence, Employee Value Proposition, Employee Experience Management), Employer Branding (audit, strategy, communications, activations, EVP alignment), and Workforce Management (permanent, contracting, project-based and executive recruitment, plus Recruitment Process Outsourcing and Hybrid RPO). Cross-border talent deployment is executed through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, Humanity Staffing Solutions, which sources permanent, contract, and remote workers across Southern Africa, the Middle East, North America/Canada, and East Asia. Supporting Workforce Management services include Outsourced Payroll, an Employee of Record (EOR) offering, and Visa Support for international talent relocating to South Africa.

The firm targets enterprise and mid-market clients across Financial Services, Insurance, IT, FMCG, Mining and Engineering, Construction, Manufacturing, NPOs, and Retail, with named logos including Discovery, MultiChoice, Marsh Insurance, Bank Windhoek, Kellogg's, Lockton South Africa, Sun International, and DBSA. Revenue is generated through a mix of transaction-based professional services fees (permanent placements, executive headhunting, project-based recruitment), recurring managed services contracts (RPO, outsourced payroll, EOR), and subscription or project-based employer branding engagements. Go-to-market is consultative and sales-led, with direct enterprise engagement by senior practitioners complemented by content marketing, a podcast ("Getting Humans"), the co-hosted Lunchtime Marketing & Leadership podcast, and an active blog serving top-of-funnel demand.

The technology stack is intentionally thin: no proprietary platform, no public API, no mobile applications, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and reliance on a partner engagement-measurement tool (ClarityWave). Delivery is human-capital intensive, the firm employs 11–50 staff, and revenue, funding history, and pricing are not publicly disclosed. The company is founder-led by Shaun Raaff, with a partner bench including Andrea Osterloh, Laura Pycraft, and Craig Page-Lee leading the Staffing Solutions, People Solutions, and Employer Branding practices respectively.

Name

Humanity

Legal name

Humanity Holdings (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://humanitysa.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Humanity is a Johannesburg-based, founder-owned professional services firm delivering recruitment, employer branding, and HR consulting across People Solutions, Workforce Management, and Employer Branding pillars for enterprise and mid-market clients primarily in South Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR Consulting & Recruitment Services

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Global / Multi-Country RPO (BPACABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive RPO (Leadership Hiring Programs) (BPACABAI), HRIS/HCM Implementation & EOR Platform Services (BPACAHAJ), DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) & Belonging Consulting (BPAHAGAJ)

Keywords

• Recruitment services
• Employer branding
• HR consulting
• Talent acquisition
• Workforce management

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recruitment Services: The company generates revenue through permanent recruitment fees, contracting recruitment services, project-based recruitment, and executive headhunting. These are typically transaction-based professional services where fees are charged upon successful candidate placement.
2. RPO Services: Recruitment Process Outsourcing services where Humanity manages some or all of a client's recruitment processes. This involves a strategic partnership model with ongoing service delivery.
3. Employer Branding Services: Strategic employer branding services including audit analysis, employer brand strategy, communication development, employee activations, and EVP alignment. Delivered as subscription or on-demand services.
4. People Solutions / HR Consulting: HR Excellence services including governance risk and compliance, remuneration and reward programs, performance and development consulting, and organization design services.
5. Outsourcing and Payroll Services: Outsourced payroll services, employee of record (EOR) solutions, and visa support services for international talent relocation to South Africa.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Humanity is a South African professional services firm providing recruitment, employer branding, and HR consulting services. Its offerings span permanent, contracting, project-based, and executive recruitment, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) and Hybrid RPO, employer brand strategy and activations, HR Excellence and Employee Value Proposition (EVP) development, Employee Experience Management, and supporting services such as outsourced payroll, Employee of Record (EOR), and visa support for international talent relocating to South Africa.

Product overview

Humanity is a South African human resources and people services company offering a comprehensive portfolio of integrated services organized into three main pillars: People Solutions (HR Excellence, Employee Value Proposition, and Employee Experience Management), Workforce Management (Permanent, Contracting, Project-Based, and Executive Recruitment plus RPO and Hybrid RPO), and Employer Branding (Strategy, Communication, Activations, and EVP Alignment). Additional supporting services include Outsourced Payroll, Employee of Record, Visa Support, and South African Talent Outsourcing. The company was established in 2016 and serves industries including Financial Services, Insurance, IT, FMCG, Mining, Engineering, Construction, Manufacturing, NPO, and Retail.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HR Excellence (HRE) Transforms HR departments from compliance enforcers to strategic partners through HR maturity audits, risk assessments, governance risk and compliance work, remuneration and reward programs, and people strategy development.
• Employee Value Proposition (EVP) Helps organizations attract and retain talent by crafting employee value propositions covering learning, wellbeing, rewards, culture, and workspace.
• Employee Experience Management (EXM) Identifies and enhances moments that matter throughout the employee journey from first day to last, focusing on engagement, communication, journey mapping, and employee advocacy.
• Permanent Recruitment Connects organizations with top talent for long-term roles through sourcing, screening, interviewing, and onboarding support.
• Contracting Recruitment Provides flexible staffing solutions for short to medium-term projects, seasonal demands, or specialized assignments.
• Project Based Recruitment Hires individuals for specific assignments or initiatives within defined timeframes for product launches, events, or infrastructure projects.
• Executive Headhunting Specialized recruitment service identifying and attracting top-tier talent for senior leadership positions through comprehensive market mapping.
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Strategic partnership managing some or all recruitment processes including candidate sourcing, screening, management, employer branding, technology access, and analytics.
• Hybrid RPO Collaborative recruitment approach where Humanity's RPO team works alongside internal recruitment teams to achieve hiring goals.
• Employer Brand Strategy Crafts compelling employer brand identity and messaging that attracts top talent and complements commercial brand positioning.
• Employer Brand Communication Develops targeted communication, employer brand promotion, marketing, and public relations on subscription or on-demand basis.
• Employee Activations Interactive or experiential campaigns bringing employer brand to life internally with employees or externally with talent targets.
• EVP Alignment Ensures Employee Value Proposition has correct components to support employer brand promises and retain top employees.
• Outsourced Payroll Manages payroll operations including employee data, timekeeping, wage calculations, deductions, benefits, and South African tax compliance reporting.
• Employee of Record (EOR) Provides single point of contact for employment solutions handling administrative, legal, and regulatory hiring intricacies in South Africa.
• Visa Support Assists international talent relocating to South Africa with visa applications and local legal requirements navigation.
• Outsourcing South African Talent Builds offshore teams by aligning South African talent with client strategic vision, cultural values, and growth targets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies that excel at customer experience have 1.5 times more engaged employees than companies with poor customer experience
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half International: Global staffing and consulting firm operating in permanent placement, contracting, and managed solutions across multiple verticals. Comparable to Humanity's recruitment and workforce management services but at much larger scale.
• Randstad: Global HR services leader in staffing, RPO (Randstad Sourceright), and HR consulting with established South African presence. Comparable across recruitment, RPO, and HR advisory lines.
• Mercer: Global HR consulting firm (part of Marsh McLennan) offering workforce strategy, talent, and rewards consulting. Comparable to Humanity's HR Excellence and remuneration consulting practice as a broad incumbent.

Direct peers

• Network Recruitment: South African specialist recruitment firm serving IT, engineering, finance, and supply chain verticals. Comparable as a Southern Africa recruitment peer competing for similar enterprise clients.
• ADcorp Holdings: Largest South African staffing and recruitment group operating across permanent placement, contracting, and RPO across multiple sectors. Directly comparable as a Southern Africa-based recruitment and HR services provider serving enterprise clients.
• Cielo: Global pure-play RPO leader managing end-to-end recruitment process outsourcing for enterprises worldwide. Comparable to Humanity's RPO and Hybrid RPO offerings, though at vastly larger scale.
• Michael Page: Global specialist recruitment firm operating across financial services, technology, and multiple verticals with permanent and interim placement offerings. Comparable in recruitment focus and vertical specialization.
• Alexander Mann Solutions: Global RPO and talent acquisition consultancy offering end-to-end and project-based RPO. Comparable service-line overlap with Humanity's RPO and Hybrid RPO offerings.
• Hire Resolve: South African recruitment agency placing candidates across IT, engineering, finance, mining, and construction verticals. Comparable market position serving enterprise clients in the same verticals as Humanity.

Emerging players

• Deel: Global EOR, payroll, and HR platform enabling companies to hire internationally. Comparable to Humanity's EOR, payroll, and South African Talent Outsourcing offerings but with a technology-first model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeBE8IidsXsQx0gkBuDA7ww?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/HUMANITYEmployeeExperience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/humanity-the-employee-experience-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/humanity_sa
• Xx.com/humanityexecsa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Humanity