Kelly Services Korea

What Kelly Services Korea does

Kelly Services Korea is the South Korean local operation of Kelly Services Inc., a NASDAQ-listed (KELYA) global workforce solutions company founded in 1946 in the United States and headquartered in Michigan. Established in Seoul in 2008, Kelly Services Korea operates as a human resource consulting and temporary staffing agency serving enterprise and mid-market clients in Korea through the parent's full suite of workforce solutions — acquire (temporary staffing, direct sourcing, master vendor programs, recruitment process outsourcing), manage (on-site workforce management, business process outsourcing, payroll services, managed services), and retain (skilled professional solutions, Kelly Certification Institute, Equity@Work). The Korean operation leverages the parent's specialty divisions (Kelly Education, Kelly Engineering, Kelly Government, KellyOCG, Kelly Science & Clinical, Kelly Professional & Industrial) and acquired brands (Greenwood Asher & Associates, Motion Recruitment, Next Gen | GTA, Softworld, TG Federal, Vita Global Science) to serve verticals including education, engineering, government/defense, science/clinical, and professional/industrial staffing.

The underlying technology stack for Kelly Korea is inherited from the parent and is best characterized as a services-led platform with proprietary process and tooling inside KellyOCG for managed services and workforce outsourcing, plus the myKelly candidate portal for job-seeker engagement. The parent has not disclosed proprietary AI/ML models, public APIs, SDKs, or MCP integrations; technology differentiation is asserted as 'proprietary features' inside managed services rather than in matching algorithms. The go-to-market model is enterprise field sales for large accounts, inside sales for mid-market, and KellyOCG as the global managed-services arm, with pricing structured as quote-based, non-public markups on worker wages for temporary staffing and placement-fee or managed-services fees for direct hire, RPO, and BPO.

Revenue mechanics are split across six streams: temporary staffing billed as a markup on wages; direct sourcing/placement with fee structures based on candidate salary; RPO and on-site workforce management as recurring managed-services contracts; BPO as outsourced operational/admin functions; and payroll services as administrative recurring fees. Customer concentration at the Korea entity level is unstated in the input data, but the parent's client base spans six primary verticals — Education, Engineering, Government, Science & Clinical, Pediatric Therapy, and Professional & Industrial — suggesting deliberate cross-vertical diversification at the corporate level. The reported Korea entity headcount of 11-50 employees indicates a branch-office scale relative to the parent's global footprint across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico (per disclosed operating geographies).

Name

Kelly Services Korea

Legal name

Kelly Services Inc.

Website

https://kellyservices.kr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kelly Services Korea, established in Seoul in 2008, is the Korean branch of NASDAQ-listed Kelly Services Inc. (KELYA). It provides temporary staffing, direct sourcing, RPO, managed services, and payroll solutions to enterprise and mid-market clients across verticals including education, engineering, government, and science.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing and Workforce Solutions

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

Local & Regional Generalist Staffing Agencies (BPACACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA), Payroll Outsourcing & Pay Administration (Multi-country/Managed Payroll) (BPACAKAD)

Keywords

• Temporary staffing services
• Workforce solutions
• Recruitment process outsourcing
• Human resource consulting
• Managed service provider

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Temporary Staffing: Provides temporary staffing services placing workers with client companies for specified durations, generating revenue through markups on worker wages paid by client employers.
2. Direct Sourcing & Hiring: Direct placement services matching candidates with permanent positions at client organizations, typically with fee structures based on candidate salary.
3. Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO): Outsourced recruitment services managed by KellyOCG, taking ownership of client's hiring processes and talent acquisition functions.
4. On-site Workforce Management: Managed services delivered on client sites with Kelly personnel overseeing day-to-day workforce operations.
5. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO): Outsourcing of business processes to Kelly, including operational and administrative functions.
6. Payroll Services: Payroll processing and administration services for clients, managing employee compensation, tax withholding, and benefits administration.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kelly Services Korea is a human resource consulting and temporary staffing agency operating as the Korean arm of global workforce solutions provider Kelly Services Inc. It places temporary and permanent workers with client companies, delivers direct sourcing and hiring, master vendor programs, recruitment process outsourcing, on-site workforce management, business process outsourcing, payroll services, and managed services across multiple industry verticals including professional and industrial staffing.

Product overview

Kelly Services is a workforce solutions company offering a comprehensive platform of staffing and talent services. The core offering spans Acquire talent services (Temporary staffing, Direct sourcing & hiring, Master vendor programs, Recruitment process outsourcing), Manage talent services (On-site workforce management, Business process outsourcing, Payroll services, Managed services), and Retain talent services (Skilled professional solutions, Kelly Certification Institute, Equity@Work). The company operates multiple specialty divisions including Kelly Education, Kelly Engineering, Kelly Government, KellyOCG, Kelly Pediatric Therapy, Kelly Professional & Industrial, and Kelly Science & Clinical. The portfolio also includes acquired brands such as Greenwood Asher & Associates, Motion Recruitment, Next Gen | GTA, Softworld, TG Federal, and Vita Global Science. The myKelly platform provides candidate portal and career advice services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kelly Education: Education staffing and solutions division
• Kelly Engineering
• Kelly Government
• KellyOCG
• Kelly Pediatric Therapy
• Kelly Professional & Industrial
• Kelly Science & Clinical
• Greenwood Asher & Associates
• Motion Recruitment
• Next Gen | GTA
• Softworld
• TG Federal
• Vita Global Science
• Kelly Certification Institute
• Equity@Work

Products and services

• Temporary Staffing Provides businesses with temporary workers to meet short-term staffing needs, generating revenue through markups on worker wages paid by client employers.
• Direct Sourcing & Hiring Direct talent acquisition and permanent placement services matching candidates with permanent positions at client organizations, typically with fee structures based on candidate salary.
• Master Vendor Programs Centralized vendor management for contingent workforce needs, allowing clients to consolidate staffing suppliers under a single managed program.
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Outsourced recruitment services managed by KellyOCG, taking ownership of client's hiring processes and full or partial talent acquisition functions.
• On-site Workforce Management Managed services delivered on client sites with Kelly personnel overseeing day-to-day workforce operations.
• Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Outsourcing of business processes and operational/administrative functions to Kelly.
• Payroll Services Payroll processing and administration services for clients, managing employee compensation, tax withholding, and benefits administration.
• Managed Services Managed workforce services delivered through the KellyOCG global solutions division, providing enterprise-level talent management services across multiple geographies.
• Skilled Professional Solutions Staffing solutions for skilled professional workers, part of Kelly's Retain talent services offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Human connections create ripple effects improving people's lives and business operations

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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 core.

• Kelly EducationcoreOthersInternal specialty division providing education staffing solutions including teachers, substitutes, and support staff for K-12 and higher education institutions. Part of Kelly's comprehensive workforce solutions portfolio.
• Kelly EngineeringcoreOthersInternal specialty division focused on engineering staffing across aerospace, automotive, civil, electrical, and mechanical disciplines. Recognized as a Star Performer leader by Everest Group.
• KellyOCGcoreOthersKelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group (OCG) is a leading provider of global solutions for managed services, workforce outsourcing, and consulting. Serves as Kelly's enterprise-focused global delivery arm.
• Kelly GovernmentcoreOthersInternal specialty division serving government agencies and contractors with workforce solutions including positions requiring security clearances and compliance-sensitive roles.
• Kelly Science & ClinicalcoreOthersInternal specialty division providing scientific and clinical staffing for research, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare laboratory environments.
• Kelly Pediatric TherapycoreOthersInternal specialty division providing pediatric therapeutic services including speech, occupational, and physical therapy for children, addressing critical therapist shortages.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ManpowerGroup: Global workforce solutions company with significant presence in Korea via Manpower Korea, providing temporary staffing, permanent placement, RPO (Talent Solutions), and right-management services — overlapping nearly 1:1 with Kelly Services Korea's service portfolio across professional, industrial, and managed solutions.
• Adecco Group: Global staffing and workforce solutions leader operating in Korea through Adecco Korea, offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, RPO, and career transition services across clerical, industrial, and professional segments — directly comparable to Kelly Services Korea's generalist staffing and managed services model.
• Randstad: Global HR services leader with operations in Korea (Randstad Korea), offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, RPO, MSP, and outplacement — directly competing for the same Korean enterprise and mid-market clients as Kelly Services Korea across clerical, professional, and engineering segments.
• Michael Page International: Global specialist recruiter for mid-to-senior professionals across finance, technology, engineering, and life sciences; comparable to Kelly's permanent placement, Motion Recruitment, and Kelly Science & Clinical offerings in the Korean market.
• Hays plc: Global specialist recruiter focusing on professional and skilled trades, with established operations in Asia including Korea; comparable to Kelly Engineering and Kelly Professional & Industrial in addressing mid-to-senior professional talent gaps.
• Robert Half International: Specialized staffing firm focused on finance, accounting, technology, and administrative professionals; competes with Kelly's Professional & Industrial and Motion Recruitment divisions for the same professional placement and temp-to-perm business in Korea.

Broad incumbents

• Recruit Holdings: Japanese-headquartered global HR technology and staffing conglomerate operating Indeed, Glassdoor, and staffing businesses in Asia-Pacific; serves as both a competitor in Korea staffing and an adjacent platform relevant to Kelly's candidate acquisition and digital channel strategy.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm offering executive search, RPO, talent consulting, and assessment; overlaps with Kelly's Greenwood Asher & Associates subsidiary (executive search) and KellyOCG (RPO/consulting) at the high end of professional staffing.
• Allegis Group: Global privately-held staffing and workforce solutions company operating Aerotek and TEKsystems; competes directly with Kelly's engineering, technology, and professional staffing divisions and shares the global MSP/RPO competitive set relevant to Kelly Korea's enterprise motion.

Emerging players

• Insight Global: US-based staffing and managed services provider focused on IT, engineering, and professional talent; comparable to Kelly Engineering and KellyOCG managed services in technology and engineering contingent staffing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kellyserviceskr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries13 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 Services Korea