What Kelly Services does

Kelly Services Inc. is a publicly traded (NASDAQ: KELYA) global workforce solutions provider founded in 1951 and headquartered in Troy, Michigan. The company operates a workforce solutions platform that connects job seekers with employers across temporary staffing, direct sourcing and hiring, recruitment process outsourcing, master vendor programs, on-site workforce management, business process outsourcing, payroll services, and managed services through its flagship KellyOCG (Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group) division. Underlying technology is described as a workforce solutions platform with candidate-facing tools such as the myKelly portal; there is no evidence in the input of proprietary AI/ML or patented technology, and API or SDK offerings are not documented.

Name

Kelly Services

Legal name

Kelly Services Inc.

Website

https://kellyservices.in

Company type

Public

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kelly Services Inc. is a publicly traded (NASDAQ: KELYA) global workforce solutions provider serving enterprise corporations and specialized verticals — education, engineering, government, healthcare, telecom, and IT — through temporary staffing, direct hire, RPO, MSP, payroll, and BPO offerings delivered via KellyOCG and thirteen specialty divisions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Solutions and Staffing Services

NAICS

Temporary Help Services (56132), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Payroll Services (541214), Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Help Supply Services (7363), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Generalist Staffing Agencies (BPACACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA), Contractor Management Systems (CMS) & Workforce Management (BPACAGAE), Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB), Workforce Management & Scheduling Outsourcing (Non-payroll) (BPACAKAJ)

Keywords

• Workforce solutions
• Temporary staffing
• Recruitment process outsourcing
• Managed services provider
• Talent acquisition

Headquarters

HQ city

Troy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Temporary Staffing Services: Providing temporary workers to client organizations, earning margin on hourly bill rates.
2. Direct Sourcing & Hiring: Permanent placement and direct hire services, generating fee income from successful placements.
3. Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO): Managed recruitment services for enterprise clients, typically on a retained or per-project basis.
4. Payroll Services: Employer of record and payroll processing services.
5. Business Process Outsourcing: On-site workforce management and BPO services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kelly Services is a workforce solutions provider that connects companies with talent through temporary staffing, direct sourcing and hiring, recruitment process outsourcing, on-site workforce management, business process outsourcing, payroll services, and managed services. The company serves enterprise, government, education, healthcare, engineering, and science clients through specialty divisions and acquired brands, while providing job seekers self-service access via the myKelly portal.

Product overview

Kelly Services operates as a comprehensive workforce solutions platform offering both a unified suite of core talent solutions and a portfolio of specialty divisions. The core workforce solutions include 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 solutions (Skilled Professional Solutions, Kelly Certification Institute, Equity@Work). These core offerings are complemented by KellyOCG as the flagship global managed services and outsourcing division. The company also maintains specialty divisions including Kelly Education, Kelly Engineering, Kelly Government, Kelly Science & Clinical, Kelly Professional & Industrial, and Kelly Pediatric Therapy, alongside multiple acquired brands such as Greenwood Asher & Associates (executive search), Motion Recruitment (technology staffing), Softworld (IT/engineering staffing), Next Gen | GTA (telecom staffing), TG Federal (government staffing), and Vita Global Science (scientific staffing). The myKelly portal provides candidate-facing self-service tools for job seekers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kelly Education: Education staffing and workforce solutions
• 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

Products and services

• Temporary Staffing Connects companies with temporary workers to meet short-term staffing needs across various industries and roles.
• Direct Sourcing & Hiring Enables companies to source and hire talent directly through Kelly's talent networks and expertise, providing permanent placement services.
• Master Vendor Programs Centralized vendor management solutions for businesses managing contingent workforce needs across multiple suppliers.
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing Full-service recruitment outsourcing that transfers all or part of a company's permanent hiring process to Kelly.
• On-Site Workforce Management Kelly representatives embedded at client sites to manage and optimize the contingent workforce on location.
• Business Process Outsourcing Outsourcing of non-core business functions to Kelly to improve operational efficiency and focus on core competencies.
• Payroll Services Comprehensive payroll processing and administration services for contingent and permanent workers, acting as employer of record.
• Managed Services Managed services provider solutions for optimizing and controlling contingent workforce programs.
• Skilled Professional Solutions Specialized staffing solutions for highly skilled professional roles across various industries and disciplines.
• KellyOCG A leading provider of global solutions for managed services, workforce outsourcing, and consulting for complex global talent needs.
• Kelly Education Education-focused staffing and workforce solutions for schools, districts, and educational institutions, including substitute teachers and educational support personnel.
• Kelly Engineering Engineering-specific staffing and talent solutions for technical and engineering roles across industries.
• Kelly Government Workforce solutions and staffing services tailored for government agencies and public sector clients.
• Kelly Pediatric Therapy Therapy and rehabilitation staffing solutions addressing therapist shortages and access barriers in pediatric care settings.
• Kelly Professional & Industrial Professional and industrial staffing solutions covering administrative, professional, and light industrial roles.
• Kelly Science & Clinical Scientific and clinical staffing solutions for research, healthcare, and life sciences organizations.
• Motion Recruitment Technology and IT staffing specialists providing contract and permanent technology talent solutions.
• Softworld Technology staffing firm specializing in IT, engineering, and scientific professional placements.
• Greenwood Asher & Associates Executive search and recruiting firm specializing in higher education and academic leadership placements.
• Next Gen | GTA Telecom-specific staffing and workforce solutions for the telecommunications industry.
• TG Federal Federal government-focused staffing and workforce solutions provider.
• Vita Global Science Scientific and clinical staffing solutions with a global reach for life sciences and research organizations.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hays plc: UK-listed professional staffing specialist with deep vertical coverage in IT, engineering, life sciences, and education. Comparable to Kelly's vertical specialty divisions and Motion Recruitment / Softworld IT and engineering practices.
• Adecco Group: Global peer offering temporary staffing, permanent placement (Adecco, LHH for executive search and career transition), and managed services. Competes head-to-head with Kelly across the Americas in education, engineering, and IT verticals.
• Randstad: Largest global staffing competitor operating across temporary staffing, permanent placement, and managed services (Randstad, Randstad Technologies, Sourceright). Operates a near-identical multi-vertical specialty and RPO/MSP model.
• Robert Half: US-listed staffing specialist in professional and finance/accounting/technology staffing. Directly comparable to Kelly's Professional & Industrial and Motion Recruitment offerings with a similar contingent plus direct-hire mix.
• Insight Global: Large private US staffing firm in IT, engineering, and professional staffing. Direct rival to Motion Recruitment and Softworld, and a competing on-site managed services provider to enterprise accounts.
• ManpowerGroup: Direct global competitor across temporary staffing, permanent placement, and managed services (Manpower, Experis, Talent Solutions). Closely aligned business model with materially larger international scale than Kelly.
• Kforce: US staffing specialist focused on technology and finance/accounting staffing. Closely overlaps Kelly Engineering, Science, and Motion Recruitment offerings with a similar enterprise customer base and contingent plus permanent mix.
• TrueBlue: US-centric staffing company operating in light-industrial, administrative, and specialized staffing (PeopleScout for RPO, Centerline for commercial driving). Directly comparable to Kelly Professional & Industrial and on-site managed services offerings.
• Apex Systems (ASGN): IT staffing and managed services subsidiary of ASGN, directly comparable to Kelly's Motion Recruitment and Softworld technology practices. Strong overlap in IT contingent staffing and managed service programs for enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• Recruit Holdings: Parent of Indeed and Glassdoor and global HR services leader. Operates broader and digital-first staffing and matching platforms that compete with Kelly's permanent placement and candidate acquisition funnels at a larger, more tech-enabled scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kelly-servics

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