What Adecco does

Adecco operates as the primary staffing brand of The Adecco Group AG, a publicly listed Swiss workforce solutions company trading on the SIX Swiss Exchange under ticker ADEN. Formed from the 1996 merger of Adia (founded 1957) and Ecco (founded 1964), Adecco runs a global network of 3,800 branches across 62 countries, employing 25,000 recruitment experts and placing 660,000+ associates on assignment daily. The portfolio spans temporary placement, permanent recruitment, outsourcing (RPO/BPO), payrolling, training, diversity and inclusion solutions, and executive search, serving enterprise clients and job seekers across industrial, healthcare, technology, logistics, retail, financial services, hospitality, and public sector verticals.

The core technology is an AI-powered recruitment platform with agents deployed across seven stages of the recruitment lifecycle: pre-screening, talent pool management, recruiter support, customer service, onboarding, voice capability, and a proprietary Redeployment Agent that proactively reconnects candidates post-assignment. The system has processed 1.2 million candidate interactions and 250,000 fully completed interviews across 50,000 jobs in 10 countries, delivering a 50% reduction in time-to-deliver and 80%+ fill rates. The platform is built atop Salesforce Agentforce under an unlimited enterprise license, complemented by an AI CV Builder using speech-to-text. Sub-brands include Akkodis (tech/engineering), LHH (talent development and career transitions), Pontoon (strategic talent), General Assembly (training), Ezra (coaching), Advantis Medical Staffing (U.S. healthcare, acquired January 2026), and the r.Potential joint venture with Salesforce (AI workforce transformation, launched January 2026).

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction fees on temporary placements, permanent recruitment, and executive search, supplemented by managed services revenue from payrolling, RPO, BPO, and integrated HR outsourcing under multi-year contracts, and professional services revenue from training programs. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year RPO contracts and unit-priced outsourcing engagements, and no public pricing is disclosed. Distribution is hybrid: enterprise field sales through global branches and onsite client integration combined with direct-to-consumer engagement via a digital job portal featuring 100,000+ jobs worldwide. The Adecco Group reported Q1 2026 revenue of €5.66 billion with 5.3% organic growth.

Name

Adecco

Legal name

Adecco

Website

https://adecco.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Adecco, the primary staffing brand of publicly listed The Adecco Group AG, is a global workforce solutions provider operating 3,800 branches across 62 countries, offering temporary placement, permanent recruitment, outsourcing, executive search, and AI-powered recruitment technology to enterprise clients and job seekers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Solutions / Staffing Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Enterprise RPO (End-to-End Program Management) (BPACABAA), Executive RPO (Leadership Hiring Programs) (BPACABAI)

Keywords

• Workforce staffing services
• Temporary placement solutions
• Permanent recruitment services
• Recruitment process outsourcing
• Talent management solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

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. Temporary Staffing/Placement: Flexible staffing solutions providing temporary workers to companies for seasonal demand, illness absences, or organizational hiring needs. Core staffing services managed end-to-end from sourcing and screening to onboarding, payroll and compliance.
2. Permanent Recruitment: Long-term talent acquisition services combining targeted sourcing, structured assessment, and cultural fit evaluation to secure professionals who stay and perform.
3. Payrolling Services: Complete payroll management and distribution for contracted workforce including contract management, absence management, accounting, and salary payments.
4. Outsourcing Solutions: RPO, BPO, and integrated HR outsourcing managing recruitment, administration and workforce processes for clients under tailored workforce management solutions.
5. Executive Search: Discreet headhunting services for executive and senior leadership positions with exclusive access to top-tier talent and rigorous evaluation processes.
6. Training and Development: Workforce performance programs helping close critical skills gaps, improve productivity and prepare teams for change through targeted reskilling and large-scale workforce development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Adecco is a global workforce solutions company providing temporary placement, permanent recruitment, outsourcing (RPO/BPO), training, executive search, payrolling, and diversity & inclusion solutions across 62 countries through a network of 3,800 branches and 25,000 recruitment experts. The company combines human-centric local expertise with an AI-powered recruitment platform featuring agents deployed across seven stages of the recruitment lifecycle, connecting 660,000+ associates on assignment with employer clients. Its end-to-end portfolio supports flexible staffing, talent development, workforce management, and AI-driven transformation engagements through direct sales and digital channels.

Product overview

Adecco operates as a modular workforce solutions platform offering temporary placement, permanent recruitment, outsourcing, training, diversity & inclusion, executive search, RPO, and payrolling services. The portfolio is anchored by the core Adecco brand serving 62 countries through 3,800 branches, supported by AI-powered recruitment technology including an AI Agent platform deployed across seven lifecycle stages. Key sub-brands include Akkodis (tech/engineering), LHH (talent development), and r.Potential (AI joint venture with Salesforce). Recent product evolution centers on AI agents for candidate interaction (1.2M interactions delivered), redeployment functionality, and AI-powered CV creation. The company positions AI as an enabler complementing rather than replacing human recruiters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Temporary Placement / Flexible Staffing End-to-end flexible staffing solution managing the complete temporary worker lifecycle from sourcing and screening to onboarding, payroll, and compliance for employers needing rapid workforce scaling, seasonal demand coverage, or sick-leave coverage.
• Permanent Recruitment Long-term talent acquisition service combining targeted sourcing, structured assessment, and cultural fit evaluation to secure permanent professionals aligned with client strategy, values, and growth plans.
• Outsourcing (RPO / BPO) Workforce management solutions through Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), or integrated HR outsourcing managing recruitment, administration, and workforce processes for clients with tailored engagement models.
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Comprehensive recruitment solution handling the entire HR procurement and administration process for permanent placements, with on-site and off-site specialists seamlessly integrated into client teams for project-based hiring or business expansion.
• Training and Development Workforce performance programs including targeted reskilling initiatives and large-scale workforce development aligned to business objectives to close critical skills gaps, improve productivity, and prepare teams for change.
• Executive Search Discreet headhunting service for executive and senior leadership positions providing exclusive access to top-tier talent and rigorous evaluation processes tailored for confidential senior-level placements.
• Payrolling Services End-to-end payroll management and distribution for contracted workforces including contract management, absence management, accounting, and salary payments under full-service compliance.
• Diversity & Inclusion Solutions Recruitment strategies and tools helping clients access broader talent pools, reduce bias in hiring, and build inclusive workplaces, combining data, inclusive sourcing methods, and fair assessment tools.
• AI Agent Recruitment Platform AI-powered recruitment system with autonomous agents deployed across seven stages of the recruitment lifecycle (pre-screening, talent pool management, recruiter support, customer service, onboarding, voice capability, and redeployment), delivering 1.2 million candidate interactions and 50% reduction in time-to-deliver.
• r.Potential (AI Workforce Transformation JV) AI workforce transformation joint venture with Salesforce helping business leaders integrate AI responsibly into the workplace through advisory and AI-readiness services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in time-to-deliver through AI-powered recruitment
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• SalesforcecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2026Adecco Group announced an unlimited Salesforce Agentforce license agreement to scale agentic AI at speed, deploying agents in six countries with Salesforce. The partnership supports the joint venture r.Potential for AI workforce transformation helping business leaders integrate AI responsibly.
• r.PotentialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Joint venture with Salesforce named r.Potential, focused on helping enterprises reduce AI bubble risks by guiding business leaders in integrating AI into the workplace. CEO Denis Machuel stated 300 large clients already expressed interest.
• Orbio AIstrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Partnership with Orbio AI, an AI HR system for enterprise and large workforce deployment in Latin America. Orbio AI raised US$21 million Series A funding with participation from Adecco as a customer and strategic partner.
• University of Zurich - Job Market MonitorminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership for publishing the Swiss Job Market Index, tracking job market trends and providing market intelligence.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kelly Services: U.S.-based staffing provider offering temporary staffing, workforce solutions, and talent management. Comparable to Adecco in industrial and professional staffing with similar geographic diversification across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.
• ManpowerGroup: U.S.-headquartered global staffing firm with operations in 70+ countries, providing temporary, permanent, and recruitment process outsourcing across the same verticals as Adecco. Highly comparable on workforce solutions positioning and geographic breadth.
• Randstad: Global staffing and HR services company headquartered in the Netherlands, operating in roughly 60 countries with comparable temporary staffing, permanent placement, and RPO offerings. Randstad is Adecco's closest direct peer by scale, geography, and service mix.
• Hays: U.K.-listed specialist staffing firm focused on professional services, technology, and life sciences recruitment across 30+ countries. Comparable to Adecco's permanent placement and executive search segments, particularly in EMEA.
• PageGroup: U.K.-listed specialist recruitment firm operating Page Executive, Michael Page, and Page Personnel brands across 36+ countries. Comparable to Adecco's permanent recruitment and mid-market professional placement business.
• Robert Half: Specialist staffing firm focused on finance, accounting, technology, and administrative placements with global operations. Overlaps with Adecco's permanent placement and executive search offerings and competes in similar enterprise accounts.
• Recruit Holdings: Japanese parent of Indeed and other HR technology platforms, combining traditional staffing with HR media. Comparable to Adecco in staffing scale while layering marketplace and technology assets that are reshaping the competitive landscape.

Broad incumbents

• Allegis Group: Private global staffing and workforce solutions company operating Aerotek, Aston Carter, and TEKsystems. Comparable to Adecco in scope of temporary, permanent, and MSP offerings, especially across the U.S. enterprise market.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with executive search, recruitment process outsourcing, and talent consulting. Overlaps with Adecco's executive search and RPO offerings but emphasizes higher-margin consulting and advisory work.

Emerging players

• Cielo: Private global RPO provider focused exclusively on recruitment process outsourcing for enterprise clients. Comparable to Adecco's RPO service line but more focused and often more technologically advanced in delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adecco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A5 records

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Adecco