What Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology & Telecom does

Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology & Telecom (SETT) is a specialty workforce solutions division of Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA/KELYB), founded in 1946 and headquartered in Troy, Michigan. SETT delivers staffing, direct hire, and managed services to enterprise and government clients across five verticals: Science & Clinical, Engineering, Technology, Telecom, and Government Solutions (via Kelly Government Solutions, or KGS). The division serves 90 of the Fortune 100 and engages roughly 1,000,000 workers globally through a talent supply chain spanning 140+ countries, with particular depth in federal research agencies (NIH institutes, DOE, national laboratories), life sciences, biomanufacturing, automotive, semiconductor, and renewable energy.

The division's core services include Contract Staffing (hourly-billed temporary talent for project-based needs), Direct Hire Placement (permanent placement fees as a percentage of salary), statementworX (Statement of Work-based project delivery with fixed pricing), Managed Service Provider (MSP) solutions through KellyOCG, IT Management as a Service (ITMaaS), Functional Service Provider (FSP) engagements, and Private 5G Network staffing. Supporting offerings include the Kelly Academy of Science training program and a Hiring Veterans specialty pipeline. The business is differentiated by a 'scientists recruiting scientists' specialist-recruiter model and a proprietary talent pool in which approximately 35% of candidates are passive (not listed on job boards), accessed through Kelly Engineering channels developed over 75+ years.

Revenue is generated through bill rates on contract staffing, placement fees on direct hire, fixed-price managed services engagements, and program management fees on MSP contracts; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion combines direct enterprise field sales, a dedicated federal sales unit (KGS) for government procurement, and a self-serve job board (myKelly.com) for candidate acquisition. Brand-building is supported by content marketing (resource center, salary guides, case studies), the annual Re:work Report, and the ReSETTing Tomorrow podcast. Linda Stuit serves as Vice President and General Manager of the division.

Name

Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology & Telecom

Legal name

Kelly Services Inc.

Website

https://set.kellyservices.us

Company type

Public

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology & Telecom is a specialty workforce solutions division of Kelly Services, Inc. providing staffing, direct hire, and managed services for STEM talent across science, clinical, engineering, technology, and telecom verticals to enterprise and government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Staffing & Workforce Solutions

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Electrical/Electronics & Embedded Systems Staffing (BPACADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

CMC, Process Development & Tech Transfer Staffing FSP (HLAGAOAK), Manufacturing, MSAT & Operations Staffing (API/Biologics/Cell & Gene) (HLAGAOAL)

Keywords

• STEM staffing services
• Workforce solutions provider
• Contract technical staffing
• Federal government staffing
• Talent acquisition services

Headquarters

HQ city

Troy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

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. Contract Staffing: Provides temporary specialized talent for project-based needs. Clients scale workforce up or down based on project requirements. Revenue generated through mark-up on hourly contractor rates or fixed contract fees.
2. Direct Hire Placement: Permanent placement services matching specialized STEM talent with client organizations. Revenue typically generated through placement fees, often a percentage of the hired candidate's annual salary.
3. statementworX (SOW Solutions): Statement of Work-based project delivery solutions. Kelly manages entire projects or functions end-to-end for fixed pricing. Provides more predictable costs for clients and creates higher-value engagement.
4. Managed Service Provider (MSP): Managed workforce solutions managing multiple staffing suppliers and contingent labor programs for enterprise clients. Includes ITMaaS for IT management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology & Telecom (SETT) is a specialty division of Kelly Services that provides contract staffing, direct hire placement, Statement of Work (SOW) project delivery via statementworX, and managed service provider (MSP) solutions for science, engineering, technology, and telecom roles. The division delivers specialized STEM talent to enterprise clients (90 of the Fortune 100) and federal government agencies, with Kelly Government Solutions (KGS) serving NIH, DOE, and national laboratories.

Product overview

Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology & Telecom is a global workforce solutions provider offering a portfolio of talent and staffing services. The core offerings consist of staffing solutions including Contract Staffing, Direct Hire, and Functional Service Provider (FSP), combined with statementworX (SOW-based project delivery), Managed Service Provider (MSP) services through Kelly OCG, and specialized solutions like ITMaaS and Private 5G Network. The company specializes across four key verticals: Science & Clinical staffing (including biomanufacturing and regulatory affairs), Engineering staffing (renewable energy, industrial automation, semiconductor), Technology/IT staffing (healthcare IT, cloud, cybersecurity), and Telecom staffing. Government Solutions serves federal research facilities and agencies including NIH. Supporting services include Hiring Veterans and the Kelly Academy of Science training program. The ReSETTing Tomorrow podcast provides STEM-focused thought leadership content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• statementworX: Full suite of scalable and sustainable SOW (Statement of Work) solutions for science, engineering, and technology project delivery.
• Kelly Academy of Science
• Experts Empowering Experts
• KellyOCG
• ReSETTing Tomorrow Podcast
• FEDLINK Library Services

Products and services

• Contract Staffing Provides niche STEM expertise and specific skills for revolving projects and workloads, allowing organizations to quickly scale teams up or down for contract-based engagements.
• Direct Hire Permanent placement solution for sourcing unique STEM talent and skill sets, helping businesses reduce time-to-fill and avoid loss of productivity in the hiring process.
• statementworX Full suite of scalable Statement of Work (SOW) solutions offering project delivery models with fixed pricing across multiple delivery models including project delivery, statementworX project delivery, and managed solutions.
• Managed Service Provider (MSP) Managed workforce solutions providing value-focused services across all aspects of business operations, managing multiple staffing suppliers and contingent labor programs for enterprise clients; offered through KellyOCG.
• ITMaaS (IT Management as a Service) IT management solution enabling organizations to scale resources up or down while controlling spending, supporting backend database application development, enterprise solution architecture, and security improvements.
• Private 5G Network Specialized telecom solution providing private 5G network design and deployment staffing and solutions across wireless and connected technology for enterprise clients.
• Functional Service Provider (FSP) Functional service provision solution for science, engineering, and technology workforce needs, enabling outsourcing of entire functions or projects.
• Hiring Veterans Specialized recruitment solution connecting military veterans to STEM careers in science, engineering, technology, and government sectors.
• Science & Clinical Staffing Global staffing and solutions for science and clinical talent with scientists recruiting scientists; covers biomanufacturing, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, oncology, medical writing, and clinical trial support.
• Engineering Staffing Engineering talent solutions covering renewable energy engineering, industrial automation, semiconductor engineering, automotive and sustainable mobility, and medical device and biopharma engineering.
• Technology (IT) Staffing Technical expertise in IT staffing including healthcare IT, software recruitment, cloud migration, data center optimization, cybersecurity, and endpoint security solutions.
• Kelly Telecom Specialized telecom staffing and solutions for design and deployment across wireless and connected technology, including fiber optics and 5G network infrastructure.
• Government Solutions (KGS) Workforce solutions for government projects including federal research facilities, national laboratories, NIH partnerships, FEDLINK Library Services, and Department of Energy programs; delivered through Kelly Government Solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000,000 workers engaged globally
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dow CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn the ReSETTing Tomorrow podcast, Don Cameron (Alberta Operations Site Director and VP at Dow Canada) discusses Dow's Path2Zero initiative for net-zero emissions in manufacturing. This appears to be a talent/supplier relationship where Kelly provides workforce solutions supporting Dow's ambitious decarbonization projects.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Randstad: Global staffing and HR services leader with strong North American engineering, IT, and life sciences practices directly overlapping Kelly SETT's specialty verticals.
• ManpowerGroup: Largest publicly traded staffing firm globally; competes with Kelly SETT across STEM and engineering staffing while operating a much broader portfolio of workforce solutions.

Direct peers

• Kforce Inc. U.S. specialty staffing firm focused on technology and finance professionals, directly competing with Kelly SETT's IT staffing and contract staffing lines.
• Yoh (Day & Zimmermann): STEM-focused staffing and talent solutions provider covering IT, engineering, life sciences, and federal government — a closely comparable specialty competitor to Kelly SETT.
• Robert Half International: Global specialty staffing firm placing professionals across IT, finance, engineering, and science — directly competing with Kelly SETT across technical verticals with overlapping Fortune 500 client base.
• Aerotek: Specialty staffing brand of Allegis Group focused on engineering, scientific, and clinical placements — directly overlapping Kelly SETT's core verticals with comparable contract and direct-hire models.
• Insight Global: Large private staffing firm specializing in IT, engineering, and life sciences placements, with a Fortune 500 client roster and managed services offerings comparable to Kelly SETT.
• Aston Carter: Allegis Group's specialty staffing arm focused on professional and technical talent across finance, IT, and engineering — competing directly with Kelly SETT in contract and direct-hire placements.
• Beacon Hill Staffing Group: Specialty staffing firm providing contract, direct-hire, and managed services across technology, life sciences, and finance — a closely matched mid-market peer to Kelly SETT.

Emerging players

• Toptal: Digital platform connecting businesses with elite freelance software engineers, data scientists, and designers — competes with Kelly SETT for technical contract talent via a tech-enabled model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/KellySciEngTech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kelly-science-engineering-technology

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 Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology & Telecom