Score your dream job or ideal employees with the best employment agencies in Edmonton
The local job market (job listings edmonton) is brutal. Job-seekers have to wrestle with stiff competition, mismatched skills, and even the looming threat of burnout. Meanwhile, employers are buried in mountains of resumes, battling time crunches and the risk of costly hiring mistakes.
We’ve felt the pain from both perspectives. That’s why we recommend turning to an employment or staffing agency to smooth out the process.
From networking and career coaching to attracting top talent and making the hiring process a breeze, these agencies are career and company game-changers. You’ll find our top picks below.
How much do employment agencies charge in Canada?
Employment agencies in Canada typically charge a 15% to 30% standard fee. The payment is taken from the first year’s gross salary of the candidate.
Specialized Recruiting Group
Address: 10145 104 St NW
Contact Details: +1 780-484-5454
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Fri – 8 am to 5 pm
If you’re in fields like finance, engineering, IT, executive sales, or skilled trades, Specialized Recruiting Group (SRG) is the one to ring.
The company’s recruiting specialists are boons for employers. These pros keep a “top candidates” database primed for placement, making hiring simple, efficient, and less costly.
On the job-seeker’s side, SRG’s personalized approach is the biggest perk. Their team is methodical in assessing your personality, schedule, work style, and career goals.
Now, the most glaring issue, however, is their managed industries are limited. If your company or career path doesn’t involve the aforementioned industries, keep searching.
Reaching out by email or phone isn’t exactly a breeze either, as the customer service could use some serious improvement.
Some applicants also voiced frustration about how inquiries are handled. A few even reported reaching out for resume updates and waiting an entire month without a response.
Entire Process was Friendly
“They reached out to me and offered me several opportunities that fit my unique skill set. The entire process was friendly, and very professional. I felt that my needs were being taken care of to the fullest extent and all of my concerns were addressed immediately. If I ever found myself between jobs again, I would not hesitate to contact this company. That being said, the expert (Emma S.) that lined me up with the opportunity has ensured that I likely won’t be without employment for at least a decade to come.”
-Luke Currie, Google Review
Very Helpful
“I have absolutely no complaints. It did not take long for me to get a placement. The express staff were very helpful and understanding of my situation. I am mostly grateful for Steph, she was kinda ,polite and patient. She ensured the process went well and even put in a good word to my employer. Now I got a cool job and it’s all thanks to the express staff. Thank you very much.”
-Thamsanqa Dube, Google Review
Robert Half Recruiters & Employment Agency
Address: 10180 101 St NW Suite 1280
Contact Details: +1 780-900-6136
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Fri – 8 am to 5 pm
Established in 1948, Robert Half has been in the staffing business for quite some time, and they’ve clearly learned a thing or two. Several of our teammates credit them, particularly for the free online training and personalized job-matching services they offer.
That said, speed isn’t their strong suit. Yes, they boast a high placement rate, but many candidates reported waiting weeks, sometimes even months, with little to no updates.
For employers, their contract talent solution offers the same personalized matching, whether you need on-site, remote, hybrid, short-term, or long-term placements.
The downside? Their expertise is more limited than the first entry, focusing only on finance, tech, marketing (marketing agency edmonton), administrative, and legal roles.
But, hey, if your company needs higher-level personnel, their executive search solutions could be just what you need. They have the accolades to prove it, like Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies” award in 2024.
Good Fit for the Business
“An overall great experience working with Robert Half, specifically Rory Brady. He ensured the position was not only a good fit for the business, but for me personally. I would highly recommend engaging Robert Half for anyone looking to move forward in their technical career, or for a prospective business looking for exceptional talent.”
-Jason Norris, Google Review
Puts Their Best Efforts
“Thanks to Robert Half. I am very grateful to Robert Half team for helping me in securing a job that is aligned with my skillset. This job was means a lot to me. Jana and Branton were very helpful to get me this role and they put their best efforts in this regard. Thanks RHT.”
-Asad Khan, Google Review
Prime Staffing Edmonton
Address: 10335 95 St
Contact Details: +1 780-424-3663
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Fri – 5 am to 5 pm
Labor services are Primes Staffing’s bread and butter, so if your skill set doesn’t fit into warehousing, logistics, manufacturing, construction, or light industrial jobs, they aren’t the right fit. But if you do fit the mold, you’re in good hands.
Jobs are always available on their site, and the specialized matching system doesn’t fail. Speed won’t be a big problem either; qualified candidates could land a position in about a week.
The downside? They lack a personal touch. It’s the website that does the heavy lifting instead of a consultant.
Adding extra weight to this con is their customer service, which several of our interviewees reported to be downright rude.
Prime Staffing’s solutions for employers are top-notch, though.
They handle all aspects of staffing, including payroll, taxes, and other administrative costs. Plus, they offer low-risk temporary staffing options, allowing businesses to evaluate workers before handing out long-term contracts.
They Always Have Work
“This staffing services is great to find either day to day employment or for a period of time employment, depending on what your looking for. They always have work, my first placement was for 2 years with the same company. I automatically got anther placement within a week after I finished the first one. They pay weekly to their workers, the highest wages possible. Their WCB is covered, they have in town, and out of town work available. The new management and staff are doing an awesome job, satisfying their workers. So if your looking for work I highly recommend you, to consider speaking with one of the staff there, who are 100% more than willing to help you to find a placement for your skills that you have and put to good use. KUDOS TO PRIME STAFFING SERVICES FOR YOUR KINDNESS AND BEING THERE!!!!!”
-Garry Martin, Google Review
Awesome People to Deal With
“This staffing services is great to find day to day employment. They always have work when I want to go to work. They pay later there worker the highest wages possible all there WCB is cover they have out of town work under new management, awesome people to deal with pays out every Friday who ever looking for day to day work come check it out”
-Sidd SS, Google Review
KPM Staffing Inc.
Address: The Phipps-McKinnon Building, 10020 101A Ave #1760
Contact Details: +1 780-498-2700
Operating Hours:
- Mon – 8 am to 5 pm
- Tue to Fri – 8 am to 4 pm
KPM Staffing Inc. is highly rated for several reasons.
For starters, they serve over 7 industries, provide free services for job seekers, and boast a massive network with reputable Alberta orgs. In addition, they offer personalized matching and ongoing support even after you’ve secured the role.
Businesses we chatted with also praised their thorough candidate assessments, evaluating both soft and hard skills. They’ll also personally meet with employers to deeply understand the company culture, specific roles to be filled, and the required qualifications
Sounds perfect, right? Well, there are still hiccups, especially the slow updates.
The communication issues are worse for those who won’t ace their criteria. If you find yourself in that boat, prepare for an extended wait for feedback or updates.
What’s more frustrating is that their representatives seem to have a script they’re glued to when handling concerns or questions, leading to extremely vague, non-informative answers.
Offered an Abundance of Encouragement
“Kathy reached out to me about a job I had previously had applied for but heard nothing from. When she called me she was so polite and seemed caring. She helped me teak my resume, offered an abundance of encouragement. She stood with me every step of the way with kindness and fairness. Most importantly, she listened to me. Hopefully never needed, but if I were to need to find employment again, I’d reach out to her.”
-Stephanie Martin, Google Review
Happy How Things Turned Out
“Working with KPM has been amazing. Kathy and Rachel were really dedicated to helping me find a job. They’re great at matching people with the right jobs. KPM really focuses on what each person needs, which helped me find a job that fits me well and meets my career goals. I’m very happy with how things turned out and I recommend KPM to anyone looking for a good job. I’m thankful to everyone at KPM for their help and advice.”
-Caleb Aguso, Google Review
Aplin
Address: MNP Tower, 10020 100 St NW Suite 2200
Contact Details: +1 780-428-6663
Operating Hours:
- Mon to Fri – 8:30 am to 5 pm
Aplin’s list of service industries is the biggest on this list, with 10 primary ones, ranging from industrial to finance.
The company’s signature service is talent acquisition. Their team employs a plethora of sourcing techniques, like job postings and direct outreach, to track down candidates who fit culturally and professionally.
Employers don’t have to lift a finger either. Aplin will handle the entire recruitment process, cutting down hiring costs and speeding things up.
On the flip side, several job seekers have brought up concerns about the low salaries offered, which don’t always align with the high figures initially advertised.
Their placement rate also isn’t the best despite the high number of registered job seekers and advertised positions in their database.
Lastly, Aplin’s communication system has several flaws, like late updates, unanswered calls, and even reported privacy issues.
Responsive and Professional
“Aplin has consistently delivered candidates that have been a great fit for our team. Their recruiters do an excellent job of understanding our needs, providing timely options of available temporary staff that would suit a given project, and have a good follow-up practice to ensure that onboarding and training are progressing as they should. They’ve also been responsive and professional with the few rare issues that we’ve had.”
-Anna-Marie Weir, Google Review
Wonderful to Deal With
“Dealing with APLIN has been Fantastic. I was looking for a new direction in my career and APLIN delivered. Victoria is absolutely wonderful to deal with, friendly, knowledgeable, professional, personable. From start to finish Victoria answered every question I had and was an absolute treat to deal with. Could not ask for any better.”
-Al Caissie, Google Review