When it comes to paying outside vendors to provide technology services, staffing firms are currently most keen on those that provide “sourcing automation tools,” “analytics and benchmarking” and “texting/email technology.”

These three categories of technology services have both high levels of use among staffing firms and high levels of interest in expanding their use, according to a new report by Staffing Industry Analysts.

It found 94% of staffing firms planning to use sourcing automation tools, 94% planning to use analytics and benchmarking tools and 99% planning to use texting/email technology.

The report categorized tech services into categories:

• “Booming,” with high use already and high levels of interest in their use.
• “Mature,” with many staffing firms using these services but few firms planning to increase their use of such services.
• “Narrow,” with few firms using right now but high interest in using more of.

“This is the third year in a row that SIA has surveyed staffing firms on usage of outside vendors,” said Jon Osborne, VP of strategic research and the author of this report. “Over this period, the average level of usage has increased for both technology services providers and for other vendors. That expansion looks to continue as more staffing firms indicate an intention to expand usage than to cut back for every one of the 32 services we asked about.”

Data in the report is based on a survey of 515 North American staffing firms and also looks at the use of outside tech vendors by size of staffing firm and segments served.

The report, North America Staffing Company Survey 2023: Staffing Firm Plans for Use of Vendor-Provided Services, is available to corporate members of SIA.