Grupo PAE, one of the largest staffing firms in Mexico, entered the Argentinian market with the acquisition of Assistem Recursos Humanos, one of the main local companies.

The transaction closed Aug. 29; terms were not disclosed. Assistem Recursos Humanos, which has 40 years’ experience in the market, will now operate as Assistem – Una empresa PAE.

“PAE’s arrival at Argentina makes it a major regional player, with a great international projection,” said Martin Padulla, founder and managing director of staffingamericalatina. “It has become the largest Latin American international firm in the industry.”

Grupo PAE currently operates in the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Peru. Services include staffing, outsourcing, payroll, perm and consultancy.

Argentina is a key step in Grupo PAE’s expansion strategy in South America, according to the company.

“PAE’s goal is to build high-performance teams in every Latin American country in order to provide our clients with top quality services,” said Fausto Muñiz, president of the administration council of PAE. “We are confident we can understand our region’s culture like no other international player, and we know that the Assistem team, enhanced by the PAE team, will grant extraordinary results. We want to be key players in Argentina’s future of work.”

Grupo PAE has offices in 11 countries in the region and employs more than 20,000 people daily. It ranks fourth on Staffing Industry Analysts’ list of largest staffing firms in Mexico with $67.6 million in annual revenue and 6.1% of Mexico’s formal staffing market.