Staffing agencies in Richmond, Virginia: the market, the local public firm and how to choose

This report is for Richmond-area employers choosing between agencies or between contracting and hiring, job seekers deciding where to register, and B2B sellers whose customers are staffing firms.

Richmond staffing agencies in Census data

US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, for the Richmond, VA Metro Area (CBSA 40060), NAICS 56131 (Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services) and 56132 (Temporary Help Services):

Temp agencies employ the people they supply, so the 7,819 in temp help are mostly temps and contractors working at client sites, counted at the agency's branch.

Size and location

131 establishments have 1 to 19 employees. The Census Bureau doesn't publish the 20 to 49 class for the two codes combined, so the larger bands can't be totaled. The temp help row is complete: 30 branches with 20 to 49 employees, 29 with 50 to 99, 20 with 100 to 249 and 5 with 250 to 499, and no temp branch in the metro reached 500.

The Census Bureau published Powhatan's employee figure but flagged it as high-noise, meaning confidentiality noise moved it by 5% or more. Henrico, Chesterfield and the city hold 207 of the 225 locations, at about 40 employees each. These are establishments with paid employees, not companies: a firm with offices on Broad Street and in Midlothian counts twice, and self-employed recruiters aren't counted. Professional employer organizations are a separate industry, with 12 locations in the metro.

The public staffing company headquartered here

ASGN's 10-K for 2025, filed in February 2026, describes an IT consulting and professional services firm: IT consulting was $2.5 billion, 62.3% of revenue, and assignment (staffing) revenue $1.5 billion. SEC records show the company's name changed from ASGN Inc to Everforth Inc on 22 April 2026. Its billable professionals work across its markets, not only in Richmond, so they don't explain the local Census count.

Which agency type fits the role

• IT and professional contract: developers, analysts, project managers and accountants billed by the hour, often for 3 to 12 months.
• Contract-to-hire: the same, with an agreed point at which you can hire the contractor.
• Light industrial and office temp: warehouse, production, call center and administrative shifts.
• Healthcare staffing: nurses and allied staff by shift or contract.
• Direct hire placement and executive search: a fee for a permanent hire; search firms handle senior roles.
• PEO: payroll, benefits and workers' compensation for staff you already employ.

Virginia rules to check

PEOs register with the Workers' Compensation Commission. Virginia Code 65.2-803.1 says any business that wants to provide professional employer services "shall register with the Commission before any such services may be provided," and must report new and terminated client companies within 30 days. The Commission's PEO page adds that PEOs must register themselves and each client before servicing them in Virginia. Ask a PEO for its registration and confirm your company is on its client filing.

Workers' compensation. The Commission's guidance says an employer that regularly employs more than two part-time or full-time employees must carry Virginia workers' compensation, with no waivers. For temps, that employer is the agency; ask for its certificate naming you.

Minimum wage. Virginia's minimum wage is $12.77 an hour in 2026, rising to $13.75 on 1 January 2027 and $15.00 on 1 January 2028 (Virginia Code 40.1-28.10). Multi-year rate agreements for entry-level roles should say how bill rates move on each date.

Worked example: contract or hire?

Illustrative example. The company, rates and loading are invented to show the arithmetic.

James River Logistics Software (jamesriver.example) in Henrico needs a data analyst. An IT staffing firm offers a contractor at an $82.50 bill rate. Hiring directly would mean a $105,000 salary, 28% for benefits and payroll taxes ($134,400 a year), about 1,880 productive hours a year after leave and holidays, and a 20% direct hire fee of $21,000.

The contractor costs about $20,700 a year more, and the hire fee is $21,000, so the break-even sits close to a year. If the need is shorter or uncertain, contract; if it's clearly longer, hire, or negotiate a contract-to-hire with the conversion fee falling to zero by month 12.

If you're looking for work

Register with agencies that place your kind of role, and don't pay a fee to sign up. If you're offered a contract, ask whether you'd be a W-2 employee of the agency (with workers' compensation and payroll taxes handled) or an independent contractor.

Selling to Richmond staffing agencies

The market is small, 225 locations, and specialized. IT and professional firms buy technical assessments, background checks, contractor onboarding and time-entry tools; light industrial branches buy screening, timekeeping and safety training.

At a headquarters company such as ASGN, expect purchasing to run through corporate functions rather than a branch; at the local offices of national firms, the branch often can't sign. Read job postings to split IT contract firms from industrial branches before you write. At volume, Bebop researches each firm and drafts the opener. See how to find decision makers for mapping who signs at a large firm.

Subject: Screening [skill] contractors before the client interview

Hi [first name],

I saw [firm] has [number] open [skill] contracts posted for Richmond clients.

When a contractor fails the client's technical screen, you lose the slot and the week. Our [product] runs a [length] hands-on assessment and sends a scored report you can attach to the submittal.

Worth trying on your next two submittals?

[Your name]

Local sources

Next step: see the statewide picture, including Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, in the report on staffing agencies in Virginia.