Top Staffing Agencies & Companies in India (2026)

India has become the world’s go-to talent engine. Engineers, finance teams, customer support, data folks, you name it, India’s doing it at scale. Naturally, global companies want in. But hiring in India isn’t as simple as posting a job and wiring salaries. One wrong move on compliance, payroll, or contracts, and things get messy fast.

That’s where staffing agencies in India come in. Think of them as your local hiring co-pilot. They help you find the right talent, handle payroll, stay compliant with Indian labor laws, and scale without forcing you to set up a legal entity on day one. Some focus on short-term contracts, others on long-term hires, and a few are built specifically for global-first teams.

In this guide, we’ll break down what staffing companies in India actually do, who the top players are, and how to pick the right partner without stepping into compliance quicksand. If you’re serious about building a team in India, this is the stuff you want to get right early.

Why do global companies prefer staffing agencies in India?[toc=Why Staffing Agencies]

From what we've seen while helping several global companies hire in India, the reasons always come down to the same few things: access to a massive skilled workforce, significant cost savings, and not having to figure out India's complicated labor laws on your own.

India is not just another hiring market. It's one of the fastest-growing staffing markets in the world. According to Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), India recorded 13% staffing industry growth in 2024, making it one of the top-performing markets globally. And the Indian Staffing Federation (ISF) projects the flexi staffing industry revenue to reach approximately $24 billion by FY27.

Here's why global companies keep choosing staffing agencies in India over direct hiring:

1. The talent pool is unmatched: India produces over a million engineering graduates every year across CS, AI, electronics, and more. Staffing companies in India maintain pre-vetted talent pools across various industries, so you're plugging into a pipeline that's already built and filtered for quality.
2. Cost efficiency is real: Hiring through staffing agencies in India typically saves 40-70% compared to equivalent roles in the US, UK, or Canada. India's IT ecosystem powers most Fortune 500 companies. It's the cost of living difference that makes the pricing work, not a compromise on talent.
3. Compliance is handled for you: EPF, ESI, gratuity, professional tax, state-specific rules... India's labor laws are layered and change often. Staffing firms manage payroll outsourcing, statutory compliance, and workforce management solutions end to end. From our experience, this is the single biggest reason companies choose a staffing partner.
4. Speed and flexibility: Staffing companies here fill roles in days, not months. Whether it's temporary staffing, contract staffing, or permanent recruitment, the hiring process moves fast. That kind of flexibility is hard to replicate without boots on the ground in India.
5. No local entity needed: Setting up a subsidiary in India takes time, money, and legal effort. Staffing agencies and EOR providers let you hire and manage employees without establishing any legal presence. Ideal for companies testing the Indian market or doing project-based hiring.
6. Local expertise matters: The best staffing agencies bring deep understanding of which cities have the strongest talent, what competitive salaries look like, and how to navigate cultural nuances. That deep industry expertise across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, and Hyderabad is what separates a good staffing partner from a job board.
7. The industry keeps getting smarter: India ranks third globally in flexi workforce size. Staffing firms here are investing in data analytics, AI-driven screening, and payroll automation, which means faster placements, better candidate matching, and fewer bad hires.

For global companies, working with staffing agencies in India is less about outsourcing and more about building a strategic advantage that combines cost-effectiveness, high-quality talent, compliance and safety, and the flexibility to scale based on real business needs.

Who are the top staffing agencies in India?[toc=Top 10 Staffing Agencies]

The top staffing agencies in India right now are Wisemonk, TeamLease Services, Quess Corp, Randstad India, and Adecco India. Each one brings something different to the table, depending on whether you need EOR services, high-volume hiring, contract staffing, or executive search.

That said, there's no single "best" agency for everyone. The right choice depends on your hiring volume, industry, budget, and whether you need a local entity or not.

Here's a closer look at the top 10 staffing agencies & companies in India that global businesses should have on their radar:

1. Wisemonk

Wisemonk is an India-focused Employer of Record (EOR) and staffing platform built specifically for global companies hiring in India. Wisemonk manages 2,000+ employees for 300+ companies with over $20M in payroll under management. If you're a US, UK, or European company looking to hire in India without setting up a legal entity, Wisemonk handles everything from recruitment and onboarding to payroll, compliance, and even equipment procurement.

Key Features of Wisemonk

• India-specialized EOR with full statutory compliance (EPF, ESI, TDS, gratuity)
• 48-hour onboarding for new hires
• End-to-end recruitment services for tech, marketing, and operations roles
• Payroll automation with tax optimization for employees
• Equipment procurement and delivery across India
• Dedicated HR support and personalized employee dashboard
• Transparent pricing starting at $99/employee/month

Client review/feedback:

“Wisemonk has successfully hired high-quality candidates, which has impressed the client. The team is responsive to the client's requests and changes via Slack. The team also collaborates through a hiring tracker in Google Sheets. Wisemonk communicates via email and virtual meetings.”

— Dan Sampson
VP of Engineering, Cobu
Read the full review on Clutch →

"Wisemonk is an exceptional product that helps us manage our remote workforce. It has enabled our HR teams to focus more employee welfare rather than worrying about contracts, payments and compliances. Its seemless UI, competitive Forex rates and responsive support makes it a product of choice for us."

- Neeraj S.
Chief Executive Officer
‍Rated 5/5 stars on G2 →

2. TeamLease Services

TeamLease is one of India's largest and most established staffing companies, listed on both NSE and BSE. It has placed over 3 million individuals across industries and operates in 600+ towns and cities across 28 states. TeamLease is particularly strong in temporary staffing, compliance consulting, and workforce skilling programs.

Key Features of TeamLease Services

• Pan India presence across 600+ locations
• Specializes in temporary staffing and contract staffing at scale
• Labor law advisory and compliance management
• Apprenticeship and upskilling programs for workforce development
• Strong footprint in manufacturing, BFSI, retail, and telecom sectors

3. Quess Corp

Quess Corp is India's largest business services company by headcount, with over 450,000 employees and 2,000+ clients. Part of the Fairfax Group, Quess offers end-to-end workforce management solutions spanning staffing, payroll, facility management, and technology-enabled HR services across IT, retail, BFSI, telecom, and healthcare.

Key Features of Quess Corp

• Temporary and flexi staffing at massive scale
• Digital onboarding with AI-based verification systems
• Payroll processing and statutory compliance for thousands of employees
• Training and development programs for upskilling
• Strong HR technology backend for enterprise clients

4. Randstad India

Randstad India is the Indian arm of Randstad Global, one of the world's largest staffing companies headquartered in the Netherlands. In India, Randstad offers permanent staffing, contract staffing, and executive search solutions across IT, engineering, BFSI, and manufacturing, with a strong emphasis on talent-centric recruitment and HR advisory services.

Key Features of Randstad India

• Permanent recruitment, contract staffing, and executive search
• Global compliance protocols with localized India expertise
• Strong employer branding and salary benchmarking capabilities
• Workforce consulting and HR advisory services
• Presence across major Indian cities

5. ManpowerGroup India

ManpowerGroup India is part of the US-listed ManpowerGroup, one of the world's leading workforce solutions companies. In India, they offer temporary staffing, permanent recruitment, workforce consulting, and talent management strategies across multiple sectors including IT, manufacturing, BFSI, and logistics.

Key Features of ManpowerGroup India

• Temporary and permanent staffing solutions
• Workforce consulting and talent management strategies
• RPO services for large-scale recruitment needs
• Strong presence across India's major cities
• Global hiring insights combined with local market knowledge

6. Adecco India

Adecco India is the Indian branch of the Switzerland-based Adecco Group, one of the largest HR solutions providers globally. Adecco offers specialized staffing across IT, engineering, BFSI, and pharma sectors, combining global hiring standards with localized Indian market expertise.

Key Features of Adecco India

• Specialized staffing for IT, engineering, banking, and manufacturing
• Global compliance protocols alongside Indian labor law adherence
• Workforce consulting and payroll outsourcing services
• RPO and managed services for enterprise-level clients
• Expanding presence in Tier-2 Indian cities

7. Kelly Services India

Kelly Services India is part of the global Kelly Services brand (now part of the PERSOL Group), offering workforce solutions across technology, engineering, finance, and manufacturing sectors. They're known for their blend of Asia-Pacific regional reach with global staffing expertise.

Key Features of Kelly Services India

• Permanent, temporary, and contract staffing solutions
• Strong focus on IT and engineering recruitment
• Workforce management and consulting services
• Blends PERSOL's Asia-Pacific reach with global Kelly expertise
• Serves both multinationals and large Indian enterprises

8. CIEL HR Services

CIEL HR is a fast-growing Indian HR services company headquartered in Bengaluru. Established in 2015, it offers permanent staffing, flexible staffing, executive search, RPO, HR advisory, and talent assessment services. CIEL HR was the only HR company to be featured in Brand Finance's India 100 report in 2024, with a brand value of $30 million.

Key Features of CIEL HR Services

• Permanent and flexible staffing across IT, BFSI, manufacturing, and healthcare
• Executive search and leadership hiring capabilities
• AI-based resume scoring and candidate assessment tools
• HR advisory, compliance management, and payroll services
• 50+ offices across India with growing international presence

9. ABC Consultants

ABC Consultants is one of India's oldest and most respected recruitment firms, with over 50 years of industry experience. They specialize in executive search and leadership hiring for global and Indian enterprises across sectors like technology, financial services, consumer goods, healthcare, and infrastructure.

Key Features of ABC Consultants

• Executive search and senior leadership hiring
• Specialized industry practices across 10+ sectors
• Structured 8-step recruitment process
• Deep network for C-suite and board-level placements
• Strong reputation built on five decades of successful placements

10. Michael Page India

Michael Page India is part of PageGroup, a global professional recruitment consultancy operating in 37 markets. In India, Michael Page focuses on mid-management to leadership-level placements across technology, finance, sales, marketing, legal, and HR, with offices in Mumbai, Gurgaon, and Bangalore.

Key Features of Michael Page India

• Mid-to-senior level permanent, contract, and temporary placements
• Page Executive division for C-suite and board-level search
• Industry-specialized recruiters (former sector professionals)
• Salary benchmarking and market insights for Indian market
• Page Outsourcing for high-volume and project-based recruitment

How to choose the right staffing agency in India?[toc=Choose the Right Partner]

Here's a quick side-by-side comparison to help you evaluate which staffing agency fits your specific hiring needs:

A couple of things worth noting here. If you're a global company that needs to hire in India without setting up a legal entity, Wisemonk is the only provider on this list that offers full EOR services combined with recruitment and staffing solutions. The rest are traditional staffing agencies or recruitment firms that work best when you already have a local presence or entity in India.

For high-volume contract staffing, TeamLease and Quess Corp dominate the market. For executive search and leadership hiring, ABC Consultants and Michael Page India are the stronger choices.

And if you need a blend of global standards with Indian market expertise, Randstad, Adecco, and ManpowerGroup are solid options.

What should you look for when choosing a staffing agency in India?[toc=Key Considerations]

Picking the wrong staffing partner in India can cost you months, money, and compliance headaches. From our experience working with several global companies, here's what actually matters when evaluating staffing agencies in India:

• Know your staffing model first: Are you looking for temporary staffing, contract staffing, permanent recruitment, or full EOR services? Each requires a different type of partner. An agency built for high-volume contract staffing won't be the right fit if you need compliant full-time hiring without a local entity in India.
• Compliance expertise is non-negotiable: EPF, ESI, professional tax, gratuity, TDS, state-specific labor laws... India's compliance landscape is layered and unforgiving. Ask how the agency handles statutory deductions, whether they take full legal responsibility for employees on their rolls, and how they stay updated with changing regulations.
• Look for industry specialization: A staffing firm that's great at placing factory workers may not know how to hire AI engineers. Make sure the agency has deep industry expertise and pre-vetted talent pools in your specific sector, whether that's IT, BFSI, healthcare, e-commerce, or manufacturing.
• Speed matters: In India's competitive talent market, qualified candidates don't stay available for long. Ask about average time-to-hire and whether the agency uses data analytics or AI-driven screening to match candidates faster.
• Demand pricing transparency: Staffing agencies in India typically charge 8-20% of annual CTC for permanent staffing, a monthly markup for contract staffing, or a flat fee for EOR services. Get a clear breakdown upfront. No hidden fees for onboarding, compliance, or offboarding.
• Check their geographic reach: If you plan to hire beyond Bengaluru or Mumbai, your partner needs a pan India presence or strong networks across Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Pune. Also check if they can scale with you, from 5 hires to 50 in a quarter.
• Verify through client feedback: Check verified reviews on G2, Clutch, and Google from global companies that have hired in India through them. A strong track record of successful placements and prompt communication says more than any sales deck.
• Look beyond just recruitment: The best staffing agencies today offer payroll outsourcing, workforce management solutions, tax optimization, equipment procurement, and HR services. If you don't have a local HR team in India, you want a partner that handles the entire process, not just sourcing resumes.
• Don't ignore employee experience: How the agency handles onboarding, benefits, leave management, and day-to-day HR support directly impacts retention and your reputation as an employer in India. Happy employees stay longer and perform better.
• Think long-term: Your staffing needs will evolve. Start with contract staffing today, move to permanent recruitment tomorrow, maybe build a full team next year. Choose a partner that can grow with your business needs, not just fill today's open roles.

Get Started with Wisemonk[toc=Choose Wisemonk]

If you've read this far, you already know that hiring in India is full of opportunity but also full of complexity. The talent pool is massive, the cost savings are real, but the compliance, payroll, and legal side of things can trip you up fast if you don't have the right partner.

That's exactly what we built Wisemonk for. We help global companies hire, pay, and manage employees in India without setting up a local entity. Whether you need to bring on one engineer or build a 50-person team, we handle recruitment, onboarding (in as fast as 48 hours), payroll, statutory compliance, tax optimization, and even equipment delivery, all under one roof.

We're not a generalist staffing agency trying to serve every market. We're India-focused, and that's our strength. We understand the labor laws, the talent landscape across major cities, and the day-to-day HR challenges that come with managing a remote Indian team. That deep understanding is why 300+ global companies trust us with their India hiring.

Whether you're exploring staffing solutions for the first time or looking to switch from a provider that isn't delivering, we'd love to help you figure out the right approach.

Talk to our India hiring experts today!