Forbes Unveils America’s Best Recruiting & Temp Staffing Firms for 2026

When Bobby Bloom started looking for a new job last spring, he cast a wide net. The former CEO of appliance maker NewAir worked with several search firms at once. But only one stood out. “Night and day,” Bloom says of the difference between Raines International and the others. His recruiter at Raines kept him in the loop, offered sharp feedback on how to play up his strengths, and coached him through interviews. Meanwhile, other recruiters went silent—even after multiple rounds of talks.

“Raines was with me every step of the way,” Bloom recalls. As for the ones who ghosted him? “I think that type of behavior from recruiters is going to catch up to them.” Within four months, Bloom landed the CEO role at bathroom fixture maker Wyndham Collection—a fast turnaround for a C-suite hire, he notes.

Bloom’s experience reflects a broader trend in the recruiting industry: the firms that invest in relationships are the ones that get recommended. Based on a Statista survey conducted in partnership with Forbes, Raines earned a spot (No. 92) on the 10th edition of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms, published alongside America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firms and America’s Best Temporary Staffing Firms.

The rankings draw from roughly 13,800 responses from recruiters, HR managers, hiring managers, and recent job candidates, collected between November 2025 and January 2026. Responses from the prior year were also factored in, though with less weight. The result: 175 firms on the executive list, 250 on the professional list, and 225 on the temporary staffing list.

Some firms dominated across categories. Korn Ferry held its No. 1 spot on the executive search list for the eighth time since 2017, and ranked No. 3 on the professional list. Robert Half kept its No. 1 rank on the professional list—a position it has held in nine of the past ten years—and took No. 3 on the temp staffing list. Kelly Services appeared twice at No. 2, on both the professional and temp staffing lists.

Kelly CEO Chris Layden says the firm’s edge comes from recruiters with direct industry experience in fields like education, science, and tech. “They understand the technical skills needed for R&D roles or long-term pharma positions,” he says. That expertise also helps in temp staffing, where speed matters. In education, Kelly works with 9,000 schools and 31,000 substitute teachers across the U.S., using a system Layden compares to an Uber-like app that automates requests and lets subs flag availability in real time.

Temp firms are also playing a bigger role in manufacturing and infrastructure. One of Kelly’s clients—a semiconductor company investing in the U.S.—is leaning on the firm to map out labor markets and hiring strategies. “They don’t know all the labor markets they’re about to enter,” Layden says. “They haven’t been hiring at scale in the U.S.” Kelly’s local knowledge has helped the company move from planning to hiring.

At PeopleReady (No. 8 on the temp list, No. 25 on the professional list), demand is surging in construction, energy, and infrastructure. Taryn Owen, CEO of parent company TrueBlue, says AI-driven data center construction is fueling the need for skilled workers. But supply is tight: the U.S. Department of Education estimates that for every five skilled trades workers who retire, only two replacements enter the workforce. “Access to a reliable workforce on short notice is essential,” Owen says. PeopleReady’s JobStack app lets employers request general or specialized labor and fill roles in near real time. Last year, TrueBlue and its subsidiaries connected 290,000 people with work and served more than 50,000 clients.

Unsurprisingly, most recruiting firms have adopted AI. A March report from the World Economic Forum found that 88% of companies now use AI for initial candidate screenings. Forbes list firms are using it to identify candidates, assess skills, draft job postings, schedule interviews, and forecast labor demand. Kelly’s AI tool, Kelly Ace, screens candidates against job requirements, gives real-time feedback, and automates scheduling. “It speeds up the process for people who can only apply at night because they’re working full-time during the day,” Layden says.

But AI has also made things harder. Dawn Fay, operational president at Robert Half, says AI has driven up application volumes and “made resumes more homogenous and harder to differentiate.” Still, top firms believe AI augments—not replaces—recruitment. “Recruiter-candidate relationships will continue to be human at their core,” Layden says.

That human touch is critical in executive and professional search. Robert Half works to understand a client’s culture and leadership style before recommending candidates. “We recommend people who will thrive in that specific environment,” Fay says. The firm also tries to be transparent about what’s realistic in today’s market, using daily conversations with employers and job seekers to track shifts in expectations, compensation, and hiring trends.

Long-term partnerships are common. Bloom, now CEO at Wyndham Collection, turned to Raines again—this time to fill a CFO role. “There was no hesitation. They were the only recruiter we called,” he says. “The good search firms keep a relationship going well beyond the search, whether it’s successful or unsuccessful.”

For the full list of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms, click here.

For the full list of America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firms, click here.

For the full list of America’s Best Temporary Staffing Firms, click here.

Methodology: Forbes partnered with Statista to survey approximately 13,800 participants—recruiters, HR managers, hiring managers, and recent job candidates—between November 2025 and January 2026. Responses from the previous year were included with less weight. The executive list covers firms filling roles with salaries of $100,000 or more; the professional list covers roles under $100,000; the temp list focuses on temporary and contract placements.

As with all Forbes lists, companies do not pay to participate or be selected. For more on methodology, click here. For questions, email [email protected].

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Industry reaction: Sarah Mitchell, a senior HR manager at a mid-sized tech firm, called the rankings “a useful benchmark, but not the whole story.” She noted that smaller firms often deliver better service but lack the brand recognition to make the list. “It’s still a popularity contest in some ways,” she said.

More blunt was James Corrigan, a recently laid-off marketing director who used three agencies during his job search. “Half of them didn’t even read my resume. They just blasted out generic emails and ghosted me when I asked for feedback,” he said. “If you’re not a CEO or a software engineer, good luck getting a call back. These lists don’t reflect that reality.”

On the employer side, Tom Nguyen, COO of a logistics startup, said he values firms that understand his company’s culture. “We’ve worked with big names and boutiques. The ones that win are the ones that actually listen, not just push resumes,” he said.