Personal Sigma

What Personal Sigma does

Personal Sigma is a Swiss staffing, recruitment, and HR services company operating as a network of licensed regional offices (Lizenzpartnersystem) under Personal Sigma Group AG, headquartered in Sursee. Founded in 1969, the brand has more than 55 years of operating history in the Swiss labor market and serves companies seeking qualified personnel in commercial, technical, and craft sectors. The Aarau branch (Personal Sigma Aarau AG) is one of six locations across Aargau, Central Switzerland, and Basel, each operated by an independent licensee such as Urs Herzog (Inhaber, Aarau). Services span temporary staffing (Personalverleih), trial employment (Try & Hire), permanent placement (Feststellenvermittlung), executive search and succession planning (Kaderstellen/Nachfolgeregelung), payroll administration outsourcing (Payrolling), and behavioral/cognitive assessments via the licensed Thomas International VPA and GIA tools. The business model is multi-revenue: transaction-based placement fees, managed-service margins on temporary staffing and payrolling, and licensing/royalty fees from franchise partners who invest approximately CHF 50,000-80,000 in entry equity. Go-to-market is sales-led through local offices with face-to-face consulting, supported by digital channels (website job board, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, email newsletter), community event sponsorship, and Google review-driven reputation management. The company is a member of Swissstaffing and holds the SQS Quality Label, successfully recertified in April 2026.

Name

Personal Sigma

Legal name

Personal Sigma Aarau AG

Website

https://ps-aarau.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Personal Sigma is a Swiss staffing and recruitment network founded in 1969, operating six licensed offices across Switzerland to provide temporary staffing, permanent placement, executive search, payrolling, and Thomas International assessments to companies in commercial, technical, and craft sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing and Recruitment Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACACAH

Local & Regional Generalist Staffing Agencies

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Staffing & Temp Agencies (Generalist)

SECONDARYBPACAFAA

General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Permanent Placement & Direct Hire

Keywords

• Staffing services
• Temporary employment
• Permanent placement
• Executive search
• Recruitment agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarau

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Feststellenvermittlung (Permanent Placement): Permanent staffing placement services for companies seeking to fill permanent positions in commercial, technical, and craft sectors. The company accompanies clients from vacancy intake through employment of the recruited candidate.
2. Personalverleih (Temporary Staffing): Temporary worker placement services where the company supplies qualified temporary staff to businesses. The company handles payroll administration, time tracking, and coordination while the client pays for the staffing service.
3. Payrolling: Payroll and personnel administration outsourcing services including salary processing, online time tracking, insurance handling, and compliance administration. Clients focus on core business while the company handles all payroll-related administrative tasks.
4. Kaderstellen / Nachfolgeregelung (Executive Search): Executive and management position recruitment with succession planning services on a mandate basis. Includes comprehensive candidate dossiers with personality profiles, motivation analysis, and suitability assessments for specialized and leadership positions, particularly in the SME sector.
5. Lizenzpartner-Gebühren (Franchise Licensing): The company operates under a licensing model where independent partners pay fees to operate Personal Sigma offices under the established brand. Entry investment requires approximately CHF 50,000-80,000 equity capital.
6. Try & Hire: Trial employment service allowing companies to evaluate candidates for typically 3 months before making a final hiring decision. If the company decides to hire, no additional placement fees apply.
7. Assessments (Thomas International): Behavioral profiling and cognitive ability assessments for job seekers and companies to identify suitable job matches and understand potential.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Personal Sigma is a Swiss staffing and recruitment agency network providing temporary staffing (Personalverleih), permanent placement (Feststellenvermittlung), executive search and succession planning (Kaderstellen/Nachfolgeregelung), payroll outsourcing (Payrolling), and candidate assessments using Thomas International tools. The company serves companies seeking qualified personnel across commercial, technical, and craft sectors, primarily in the Aarau and Central Switzerland regions, while also engaging job seekers at no charge.

Product overview

Personal Sigma is a staffing and recruitment services company operating as a network of licensed branch offices across Switzerland. The company offers a unified platform of HR services consisting of three core offerings: (1) Personalverleih/Try & Hire for temporary staffing and trial employment, (2) Feststellenvermittlung for permanent placement, and (3) Kaderstellen/Nachfolgeregelung for executive search and succession planning. These are supported by Payrolling services for payroll administration, and Assessments powered by Thomas International (VPA and GIA) for candidate evaluation. The company also operates a Lizenzpartner-Programm for franchise expansion. All branches are independently operated licensees under the Personal Sigma Group AG umbrella.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personalverleih / Try & Hire Temporary staffing and trial employment services that allow companies to fill short-term or long-term positions without direct hiring obligations, including the Try & Hire trial-to-hire option.
• Feststellenvermittlung Permanent placement service for companies seeking to fill permanent positions across commercial/clerical, technical, and craft sectors, including pre-selection of candidates and assessment of professional and social development potential.
• Kaderstellen / Nachfolgeregelung Executive search and succession planning service for senior management and specialist positions, with comprehensive candidate dossiers including personality profiles, motivation analysis, and suitability assessments, particularly for SMEs.
• Payrolling Payroll and personnel administration outsourcing service handling salary payments, online time tracking, insurance matters, source tax, and employment law compliance, allowing companies to focus on their core business.
• Assessments (Thomas International) Candidate assessment services using VPA (Verhaltens-Profil-Analyse) behavioral profiling and GIA (General Intelligence Assessment) cognitive testing to identify suitable job matches and evaluate employee potential for companies.
• Lizenzpartner-Programm License partnership program that allows entrepreneurs to start their own staffing business under the Personal Sigma brand, including established business model, exclusive territory, business setup, and ongoing support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies receive pre-screened, matched candidates saving significant recruitment time
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Thomas InternationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationThomas International provides the VPA (Verhaltens-Profil-Analyse) behavioral assessment and GIA (General Intelligence Assessment) cognitive testing tools used by Personal Sigma for candidate evaluation and placement matching.
• SwissstaffingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association of Swiss staffing agencies. Personal Sigma is a member and subject to quality audits and triennial recertification. The association sets professional standards and best practices for the industry.
• FDP.Die Liberalen AargauminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPersonal Sigma Aarau/Baden sponsored the FDP Unternehmertagung 2025 on August 30, 2025, supporting the entrepreneurial community in Aargau.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Randstad Switzerland: Swiss arm of global staffing major Randstad, offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, and HR solutions across Switzerland — overlapping with Personal Sigma in temporary and permanent services, with materially larger scale and digital infrastructure.
• Adecco Group: Zurich-headquartered global staffing leader and the dominant Swiss staffing brand; competes with Personal Sigma across temporary, permanent, and executive search services but at vastly larger scale and geographic breadth.
• ManpowerGroup Switzerland: Swiss operations of global staffing firm ManpowerGroup, providing temporary, permanent, and workforce solutions nationwide — a broad incumbent competitor serving the same Swiss employer base as Personal Sigma.

Direct peers

• Gi Group Switzerland: Italian-headquartered global staffing group with Swiss operations offering temporary, permanent, and executive search — a generalist competitor with similar multi-region Swiss coverage and service breadth.
• Michael Page Switzerland: Specialist recruitment firm operating in Switzerland focused on professional, technical, and executive placements — directly comparable to Personal Sigma's Kaderstellen/Nachfolgeregelung executive search service line.
• Kelly Services Switzerland: Swiss arm of global staffing firm Kelly, providing temporary staffing, permanent placement, and workforce solutions across commercial and technical verticals — comparable in service mix and target SME client base.
• Robert Half Switzerland: Swiss arm of Robert Half, specializing in finance, accounting, HR, and administrative staffing — directly comparable to Personal Sigma's commercial/kaufmännisch placement focus and payrolling service.
• Careerplus Group: Swiss-headquartered regional staffing firm offering temporary, permanent, and executive placement across multiple Swiss German-speaking regions — the closest structural analogue to Personal Sigma in scale, geography, and service mix.
• Proman Switzerland: French-headquartered generalist staffing group with Swiss operations focused on temporary staffing, permanent placement, and HR services — a direct regional generalist competitor to Personal Sigma in the Swiss market.
• Hays Switzerland: Global specialist recruiter with Swiss presence focused on qualified, professional, and executive placements — overlapping with Personal Sigma's permanent placement and executive search offerings in commercial and technical verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ps.aarau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/personal-sigma-aarau-ag
• Instagraminstagram.com/ps.aarau

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Personal Sigma