The 13 best recruitment agencies in Singapore, with fees and replacement guarantees

Tanjong Pagar (International Plaza) · Small companies hiring one or two admin, sales or junior professional roles that want the fee fixed before the search starts

1. Tyson Jay

Permanent recruitment and executive search; 3-month replacement guarantee; no upfront fee

Tyson Jay is a Tanjong Pagar recruitment agency that fills permanent roles for Singapore companies at a flat $1,999 per hire for admin and coordinator roles, or $2,999 for roles that need targeted sourcing, such as account managers, paralegals and engineers. Niche, executive and confidential searches are quoted case by case. There is no upfront fee, you pay only when someone is hired, and every placement comes with a 3-month replacement guarantee. It recruits for administration, finance and accounting, HR, sales and marketing, IT and AI, hospitality and F&B, retail, start-ups and senior management. Tyson Jay Management Pte Ltd holds EA licence 24C2479.

Raffles Place (6 Battery Road) · Companies hiring finance, sales, HR or tech professionals that want the fee scale and guarantee terms in writing before they brief

2. Robert Walters

Permanent, fixed-term, retained search and contract staffing; 13-week replacement guarantee on permanent hires

Robert Walters is a Raffles Place recruitment firm for professional and management hires that charges 25% of the first-year package for permanent roles paying under $120,000, 27% from $120,000 to $199,999 and 30% from $200,000. The package counts salary, employer CPF, guaranteed bonuses, commissions and allowances, including housing and joining incentives. If a permanent hire resigns within 13 weeks of starting, it looks for a replacement at no extra cost, as long as the invoice is paid, the role is the same and you tell it within 7 days. Contract staff are billed monthly with a 30% margin built into the charge (the pay rate divided by 0.7), plus an admin charge of $600 a month for a Singaporean or PR contractor and $800 for a foreigner. Specialisms are accounting and finance, banking, business support, general management, healthcare, HR, marketing, sales, supply chain, project and change management, and tech. Robert Walters (Singapore) Pte Ltd holds EA licence 03C5451.

Raffles Place (Plus Building, Cecil Street) · Mid-size companies that want permanent hires and payrolled contract staff from one agency

3. People Profilers

Permanent recruitment, executive search and contract staffing with payroll

People Profilers is a Cecil Street recruitment agency that fills junior to director-level roles across 15 industries, charging a percentage of the hire's annual pay that rises over three seniority tiers, each with a minimum fee. Nothing is payable unless you hire. The replacement period for each tier is written into the engagement letter and is longest for senior roles; it starts once the invoice is paid and covers one replacement per placement. For common roles the first shortlist usually comes in one to two weeks. Contract staff are billed at one all-in rate covering salary, CPF and other statutory contributions and its margin, monthly for deployments of three months or more and hourly for shorter ones, and it runs their payroll, leave and claims. Admin and support contractors can usually start within one to two weeks, and if you hire a contractor directly the conversion fee falls the longer they have worked for you. Industries include banking, construction, FMCG and retail, healthcare, IT, logistics, marine and offshore, real estate and semiconductors. People Profilers Pte. Ltd. holds EA licence 02C4944 and has recruited in Singapore since 2002.

Bencoolen (Burlington Square) · Operations-heavy companies, including events and logistics firms, that need temp crews or skilled-trade hires at short notice

4. Corestaff

Permanent, contract and temporary staffing, foreign worker recruitment and executive search

Corestaff is a Bencoolen Street recruitment agency that fills permanent, contract and temporary roles in construction and real estate, manufacturing and engineering, healthcare, logistics, IT, aviation and events, with a replacement guarantee of up to 90 days. It also recruits foreign workers and runs executive search, and it gives the example of a 200-person event crew deployed within 48 hours. Quotes are per role, built on a cost model that covers the MOM levy, agency margin and on-costs, and each quote states the guarantee window and replacement terms in writing. Corestaff Pte Ltd holds EA licence 18C9027 and has worked with Singapore employers since 2015.

Orchard (Ngee Ann City) · Companies that need temp or contract staff fast, or want people they have already picked put on an agency payroll

5. Recruit Express

Permanent, contract and temporary staffing; headcount hosting; payroll outsourcing

Recruit Express is an Orchard Road recruitment agency with seven offices around Singapore that supplies permanent, contract and temporary staff in healthcare and life sciences, banking and finance, IT, legal and compliance, general office roles and skilled industrial work, and it usually sends resumes within 24 hours. Its headcount hosting service puts candidates you found yourself on its payroll, and it also runs payroll outsourcing. Clients include Sony Electronics Asia Pacific, Zuellig Pharma, the National Kidney Foundation, DHL Supply Chain and NTU's School of Materials Science and Engineering. Recruit Express Pte Ltd holds EA licence 99C4599, has run since 1996 and is part of HRnetGroup.

Has worked with Sony Electronics Asia Pacific, Zuellig Pharma, National Kidney Foundation, DHL Supply Chain

Tanjong Pagar (Twenty Anson) · Manufacturing, engineering and logistics firms hiring technical staff on permanent or project contracts

6. Trust Recruit

Permanent and contract placement, payroll with work passes, HR policy consulting

Trust Recruit is a Tanjong Pagar recruitment agency that fills permanent and contract roles for SMEs, MNCs and the public sector in manufacturing, construction and engineering, marine and oil and gas, IT, logistics, trading, banking and finance, and services such as F&B, retail, education and healthcare. Contract placements cover project hires and temporary cover for permanent staff. It also runs payroll, including work pass applications, and consults on HR policies. Trust Recruit Pte Ltd holds EA licence 19C9950.

Paya Lebar (Singapore Post Centre) · Companies that want permanent, temp and seasonal staff from one long-running agency

7. Achieve Group

Executive search, specialist recruitment, business support staffing, temps and contracts

Achieve Group is a Paya Lebar recruitment agency that has placed more than 50,000 people since 1990, from admin and support staff to C-level executives, and it aims to come back with a hiring solution within 72 hours. It recruits in banking, energy and commodities, built environment and real estate, life sciences and healthcare, ICT, manufacturing, professional services, retail and FMCG, MICE and supply chain. For temp and contract staff it handles CPF, tax and statutory filings and runs onboarding, and it supplies seasonal manpower. Fees depend on the role, level and scope and are agreed upfront. Achieve Career Consultant Pte Ltd holds EA licence 05C3451.

Raffles Place (One Raffles Place) · Companies that need a contractor or professional hire shortlisted within a day

8. Michael Page

Permanent, contract and temporary recruitment; executive search

Michael Page is a Raffles Place recruitment firm for professional, management and contract hires in accounting and finance, banking, HR, legal, marketing, sales, IT, digital, engineering, healthcare, property and procurement, and its contracting team sends shortlists within 24 hours for most roles. Contractors come on one invoice that covers salary, benefits, insurance, visa application and reference checks, and it runs their timesheets and monthly pay. It says over 90% of its business comes from repeat clients. Its Singapore companies hold EA licences 18S9099 and 18C9065.

Raffles Place · Companies hiring IT or office roles that want contract staff payrolled by the agency

9. Randstad

Permanent and contract recruitment, payroll and parkover, statement-of-work projects

Randstad is a Raffles Place recruitment firm that fills permanent and contract roles in accounting and finance, banking, construction and engineering, office support, HR, IT, insurance, legal, life sciences, manufacturing, sales and marketing, and supply chain. Every permanent placement has a guarantee term in its service agreement, met with a replacement or a credit note. For contract staff it can become the legal employer of people you have chosen (parkover), run payroll and take on statement-of-work projects. Fees depend on the role and the service. It follows the Tripartite Standards for Recruitment Practices and holds the Progressive Wage Mark. Randstad Pte. Limited holds EA licence 94C3609.

Raffles Place (UOB Plaza 2) · Companies that need specialist contractors for a technology, risk or change project

10. Hays

Permanent, temporary and contract hiring, executive search, interim, RPO

Hays is a Raffles Place recruitment firm for permanent, temporary and contract hires, executive search and interim managers, with contractors placed on digital transformation, risk, compliance, change management and technology projects. On contracts Hays is the employer of record, pays the contractor and the statutory costs, and agrees costings with you upfront, and you can move a contractor into a permanent role later. It has made 9,400 contracting placements across Asia. Hays Specialist Recruitment Pte Limited holds EA licence 07C3924.

Somerset (Orchard Gateway@Emerald); also Jurong East · Companies hiring shift, retail or call centre staff as well as office roles, in town or in the west

11. Talentvis

Permanent, part-time, contract and temp recruitment; payroll processing

Talentvis is an Orchard Road recruitment agency, with a second office in Jurong East, that fills permanent, part-time, contract and temporary roles in IT, logistics and warehousing, engineering, customer service and call centres, retail and F&B, marketing and events, hotels and tourism, and security. It also runs payroll processing, outsourcing and cross-border recruitment. Talentvis Singapore Pte Ltd holds EA licence 04C3537.

Beach Road (Gateway West) · Japanese companies in Singapore, or firms that need Japanese-speaking staff

12. Good Job Creations

Permanent and temporary staffing, work visa applications

Good Job Creations is a Beach Road recruitment agency that places permanent and temporary staff, with a focus on Japanese companies and multilingual hires, and it also handles work visa applications. It has run in Singapore since December 2006 and is part of Japan's WILL Group. Good Job Creations (Singapore) Pte Ltd holds EA licence 07C5771.

Suntec City (Suntec Tower 4) · Companies hiring a senior finance, legal, HR or business leader

13. Kerry Consulting

Executive search, selection, market mapping, interim

Kerry Consulting is a Suntec City executive search firm for senior hires such as heads of function and directors in financial services, commerce and industry, and technology. Its practices cover banking and markets, asset management, family offices, fintech, insurance, private banking, consumer and retail, digital infrastructure, education, energy and commodities, healthcare, hospitality and real estate, and semiconductors, across functions from finance and HR to legal, sales and technology. It also runs selection, market mapping and interim hires. Kerry Consulting Pte. Ltd. holds licence 16S8060.