Staffing agencies in Taiwan: comparing multinational, large local, regional and specialist agencies
Staffing agencies in Taiwan fall roughly into four types: multinational full-service firms (e.g. Adecco), large local firms (e.g. 有根, IMC, 汎亞), regional temp agencies (e.g. 吉陞 in Kaohsiung, 金好用 in Taichung), and specialist/consulting firms (e.g. 芮可, or consulting firms that also handle permanent hiring). None of them publish their management fees on their websites, so the point of comparison is not who is cheapest but what types of roles they staff, which regions they serve, whether they also take on outsourced contracts, and how their quotes are broken down.
This article was written by Step1ne, and Step1ne also provides staffing services. To be fair, each company's information is taken only from what it publishes on its own website, with sources; anything not stated there is marked “not published on website.”
1What types of staffing agencies are there?
| Type | Examples (per official websites) | Better suited for |
|---|---|---|
| International generalist | Adecco | Foreign companies, multi-site operations, or needing both staffing and outsourcing at once |
| Large local firms | 有根, IMC 精英/精準, 汎亞 | Long-term high-volume staffing, sites across multiple cities and counties, production line or warehouse contracting |
| Regional temporary labor | 吉陞 (mainly Kaohsiung), 金好用 (greater Taichung) | Temporary, day and general laborers when you need people the same day or short-term |
| Specialist / consulting | 芮可 (Ruike) and other consulting firms that also handle permanent placement | White-collar or project staff such as admin and customer service, or when you want to start with staffing and convert to permanent later |
2All firms in one table (publicly available website information)
| Company | Founded | Locations | Main staffing types | Outsourced contracting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adecco | In Taiwan since 1989 | Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Southern Taiwan Science Park, Kaohsiung | Short-term, contract and specialist staffing | Offers outsourcing services |
| 有根人力 | 1994 | Operations centers across Taiwan (cities not listed on the website) | Entry-level to mid-senior roles, peak-season and project staff | Yes: production lines, packaging, warehousing and logistics |
| IMC (精英 / 精準) | 精英 (1991) | Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung | Long-term contract staff, temporary staff, specialist staffing | Yes: payroll outsourcing, project-based outsourcing |
| 汎亞人力派遣 | Not disclosed on website | Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Changhua, Tainan, Kaohsiung | Manufacturing, services | Website doesn't mention contracting out; offers payroll administration |
| 芮可企管顧問 | 2004 | Tainan headquarters | Admin, customer service, warehouse and event staff | Includes outsourced contracting |
| 吉陞人力 (Jisheng Staffing) | 2015 | Taichung, Kaohsiung, Taoyuan | Temporary workers, day labor, order picking | Contracting available |
| 金好用人力 | Not disclosed on website | Greater Taichung | Temporary workers, general laborers, day laborers, skilled day workers | Not stated on website |
For all 7 companies above, management fees and pricing are not disclosed on their websites; you have to request a quote from each to find out.
3Key points of each firm
Adecco
A multinational HR services group headquartered in Switzerland, established in Taiwan in 1989. Its staffing covers short-term staffing (peak seasons, event staff), contract staffing and professional staffing, plus outsourcing services for sales and marketing, HR, reception, customer service, and warehousing and logistics.
有根人力
A Taiwanese firm founded in 1994. Its website states that it provides temporary staffing and contracted operations, with contracted work including processing lines and assembly, packaging, warehousing and logistics, and cold-chain storage, and it lists certifications such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
IMC (精英 / 精準)
A Taiwanese integrated human resources group founded in 1991, with offices across northern, central, and southern Taiwan. Its staffing services are split into long-term contract staff and temporary staff, and it also offers professional staffing, payroll outsourcing, and project outsourcing. The footer of its website lists private employment service license No. 2955 (精英) and No. 2204 (精準).
汎亞人力派遣
A staffing brand with 6 locations across northern, central and southern Taiwan. Its services include staffing (recruiting, labor and health insurance, payroll calculation and payment), recruitment on behalf of employers (hires become the company's full-time employees), and payroll management.
芮可企管顧問
Founded in 2004 in Tainan, its core business is talent assessment and training; it also bundles outsourced contracting, short-term services, and event support as “hybrid staffing”—for example, administrative, customer service, warehouse stocktaking, and event guide staff.
吉陞人力 (Jisheng Staffing)
Founded in 2015 and centered in Kaohsiung, with service offices in Taichung and Taoyuan. Its core business is temporary and day labor and warehouse picking, and it also offers contracted services, warehouse management, and processing and packaging.
金好用人力
Specializes in temporary workers, general laborers, day labor and skilled day trades such as electrical and plumbing in the greater Taichung area — suited to short-term or temporary gaps.
Step1ne
A Taiwan-based executive search and recruitment consultancy with openings in both Taiwan and Japan. Besides staffing, it also handles permanent recruitment and executive search, making it a fit for companies that want to "start with staffing and convert to permanent later," or that need both permanent and contract staff. Staffing quotes are split into three parts: employee salary, statutory employer costs and the management fee. You can see how they're calculated in How staffing costs are calculated.
4How to choose: match it to your situation
| Your situation | Worth prioritizing |
|---|---|
| Need temporary or general laborers today or this week | Regional staffing agencies in your area |
| Long-term, high-volume production line, packaging and warehouse staff | Large Taiwanese firms, or providers that can also take on outsourced operations |
| Multinational, multi-region offices; outsourcing discussed together | International generalist |
| White-collar staff such as admin and customer service, possibly converting to permanent later | Specialist/consulting firms, or firms that also handle permanent hiring |
Once you've chosen a type, check each point against How to choose a staffing agency: 5 criteria, and compare quotes with How staffing fees are calculated. Also note that with staffing you cannot interview someone first and then ask the agency to employ them; see Legal pitfalls for companies using staffing.
5FAQ
Do staffing agencies need an employment services license?
Under Articles 34 and 35 of Taiwan's Employment Service Act, anyone doing job placement, labor brokerage, or recruiting employees on commission must first obtain a private employment service agency license. “Labor dispatch” is not among the businesses listed in those articles; staffing is governed by the Labor Standards Act. The official materials we found don't answer this question directly, so the above is our reading of the statutes. In practice, many staffing agencies also recruit for permanent roles and therefore hold the license as well; before signing, you can ask which licenses they hold.
Roughly how much is a staffing agency's management fee?
None of the 7 firms compared in this article publish their management fees on their websites. When requesting a quote, ask them to list employee salary, statutory employer costs, and the management fee separately so you can compare the difference. For how to calculate it, see How staffing fees are calculated.
What's the difference between staffing and contracting out?
With staffing, people employed by the staffing agency work at your company under your direction and supervision. With contracting, you hand a whole block of work to the other party to complete, and they manage their own people. Which to choose depends on whether you need "people" or "finished work."
Can temp workers be converted to permanent employees later?
Yes, but it must follow the contract between the two parties; the usual approach is to agree in advance on the conditions and fee for conversion to permanent employment. Interviewing and selecting someone first and then asking the agency to employ them carries legal risk; see Legal pitfalls for companies using staffing.
Not sure whether dispatch or full-time hiring costs less?
Tell us the role, headcount, and duration, and a consultant will compare the options for you directly. If a regional temp staffing agency would suit you better, we'll tell you that too.
Talk with a consultant on LINEFurther reading: How to choose a staffing agency · How staffing costs are calculated · Legal pitfalls when companies use staffing · Headhunting firms in Taiwan
Need staffing? Tell us the role, headcount, and duration, and we'll give you a clearly itemized estimate.
Take the hiring-model assessment first Ask a consultant on LINE・Adecco (藝珂): Temporary Staffing, About Us
・有根人力: About Us, Contracted Operations
・IMC Group: About Us, Staffing Services
・汎亞人力派遣: Services
・芮可企管顧問: Hybrid Workforce
・吉陞人力資源
・金好用人力派遣
・Article 35, Taiwan's Employment Service Act, Article 2, Taiwan's Labor Standards Act (Laws & Regulations Database of the ROC)
・Taiwan Ministry of Labor: Guidelines on the Rights of Dispatched Workers
・If any company's information has been updated, its official website prevails.