Staffing agencies in Fresno: the 83 locations, farm labor contractors and California overtime

This report is for Fresno and Madera county employers looking for an agency, job seekers comparing them, and B2B sellers whose customers are staffing firms. It's a small market, so the figures are worth reading closely.

Fresno staffing agencies in Census data

US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, for the Fresno, CA Metro Area (CBSA 23420), NAICS 56131 (Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services) and 56132 (Temporary Help Services):

Temp help is 83% of the locations and 86% of the jobs. Executive search barely exists as a local industry: three offices with two employees between them, so a Fresno employer filling a senior role will usually be working with a firm based elsewhere.

Why 83 agencies carry 5,287 people

Temp agencies employ the workers they supply, and the Census Bureau counts those workers at the agency's branch. Fresno's temp branches average 66 employees because most of that headcount is temps on assignment at client sites. The 11 placement agencies average about 66 employees too, unusual for an industry of recruiters, at an average pay of about $20,700.

The count is of establishments with paid employees, not companies, and it excludes self-employed recruiters and professional employer organizations (4 PEO locations here). Employment is the week of March 12, before the summer and fall harvest peaks, so the March figure understates the season.

Size and location

With so few locations, the Census Bureau withholds most size classes for the combined codes. The temp help row fills some gaps: 11 temp branches have 10 to 19 employees, 8 have 20 to 49, 10 have 50 to 99 and 11 have 100 to 249. Placement agencies add 3 more in the 100 to 249 class.

The county rows add to 82, one short of the metro file. Madera's five agencies average about 81 employees each.

No SEC-registered listed staffing company has its headquarters in the metro.

Temp agency or farm labor contractor?

The Census Bureau's definition of temporary help services sends "supplying farm labor" to a different industry, NAICS 115115, Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders. The Fresno metro had 31 farm labor contractor establishments in County Business Patterns 2023; their employee count is published but flagged as high-noise, so we don't report it.

If you're a grower, check the licence before the crew arrives. If you're a worker, you can check your contractor's licence in the same database.

California rules that change the price

Minimum wage. $16.90 an hour from 1 January 2026, for all employers not covered by a higher rate. A temp is the agency's employee, and the agency pays at least that.

Daily overtime. For most nonagricultural work, California pays one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 8 in a workday (up to 12) and over 40 in a week, and double time over 12 hours. A 10-hour packing shift therefore has 2 overtime hours every day, even in a 4-day week. Agricultural workers follow a separate overtime schedule, so confirm which applies to a role before you quote.

Worked example: long shifts or more temps?

Illustrative example. The company, pay rate and markup are invented; the overtime rule is California's.

Kings Canyon Fruit Packing (kingscanyonpack.example) needs 1,500 packing hours a week for 10 weeks. Its agency pays $18.00 an hour and bills a 38% markup: $24.84 for regular hours and $37.26 for overtime hours ($27.00 overtime pay plus 38%).

Eight more temps on 8-hour days cost $3,229.20 a week less and add 20 hours, or $32,292.00 over the season. The catch is recruiting 38 reliable packers instead of 30 in a tight season, so ask the agency what fill rate it can commit to at each headcount.

How to vet a Fresno agency

1. Confirm the entity on California's bizfile search and the right licence for the work: none for general temp, a Labor Commissioner licence for farm labor contracting.
2. Get certificates for workers' compensation and general liability naming your company.
3. Ask for the overtime bill rate in writing, not just the regular rate, and how double time is billed.
4. Ask about bilingual supervision and onboarding if your crews include workers more at home in Spanish.
5. Read ratings on ClearlyRated and call two clients with similar seasonal work.

If you're looking for work

Temp agencies are paid by the employer, so you shouldn't pay to sign up. Check your pay stub for daily overtime on any day over 8 hours if your job isn't agricultural, and if you work in the fields through a contractor, look it up in the Labor Commissioner's licence database.

Selling to Fresno staffing agencies

With 83 locations, this is a market to know account by account. Temp branches buy payroll and timekeeping (where daily overtime makes errors expensive), screening, workers' compensation, safety training and bilingual onboarding. Placement agencies buy job advertising and applicant tracking.

Time pitches for late winter, before the spring hiring that precedes harvest. At this size, Bebop's account research is the useful part: Bebop researches each agency and writes the angle to open with. For list-building method, see how to build a prospect list.

Subject: Daily overtime on your 10-hour shifts

Hi [first name],

I saw [agency] is staffing [role, e.g. packers] for [season] runs around [town].

On 10-hour shifts, two hours a day are overtime under California rules, and a timekeeping miss shows up as a wage claim months later. Our [product] splits regular, overtime and double time by day before payroll runs.

Could we show you on one of last season's weeks?

[Your name]

Local sources

Next step: see the state picture in the report on staffing agencies in California.