The largest traditional staffing firms are investing in the online staffing space, and familiarity is growing among recruitment clients. And one panel during next week’s “Collaboration in the Gig Economy” conference will look into challenges and opportunities for traditional staffing firms moving into the online space, where hiring and engagement are done through online platforms.

Some examples of large, traditional firms investing in the online staffing space include The Adecco Group, which began its Adia online temp staffing business in May 2017 in Switzerland. It had expanded Adia to the UK by the end of the year, according to the company’s annual report. Adecco also began its Yoss online freelancer marketplace in France last November.

“Adia brings the group’s services to clients that could not previously be well-served from a traditional branch-based solution, such as in the hospitality and events industry,” according to the company’s annual report.

Randstad acquired twago, an online platform for freelancers, in 2016, and is making investments in other firms through its Randstad Innovation Fund.

SIA research has also found online staffing platforms have become more familiar among large firms that use recruitment. In a 2017 survey, 61% of such firms said they were familiar with online staffing platforms, that’s up from a similar three years earlier that found only 39% were familiar.

“The distinction between staffing and online staffing firms is thinning,” said SIA Research Manager David Francis, who will be leading the panel on online staffing at the Collaboration in the Gig Economy event.

The full conference starts on April 25 and lasts through the end of April 26. It takes place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. The event brings together workforce solutions buyers, recruitment firms, RPO, managed service providers, gig economy firms and more. This is the first time this conference is being held in London.

It will also feature a “Gig Economy Dragon’s Den” where a series of judges will rate four gig economy firms, including Páy Ltd., Sirenum, Deployed, and Jobandtalent.