Professional staffing permanent placement revenue is fee revenue earned when a staffing or recruiting firm successfully places a candidate into a permanent position.
In the second quarter of 2026, Robert Half reported $118M, Kforce reported $7.502M, and Kelly Services reported $13.7M of permanent-placement revenue.
Placement fees have very different margin economics from hourly staffing
Kforce says Direct Hire placements have no consultant payroll cost associated with the placement fee, so the full placement fee contributes to gross profit before SG&A. Robert Half's permanent-placement gross margin was 99.8% in 2025 because reimbursable expenses were de minimis.
That makes revenue mix important. A small shift toward permanent placements can raise total gross margin even if contract gross margin is unchanged.
Revenue alone does not reveal demand
The useful decomposition is permanent placement count times average placement fee, with issuer-specific timing and guarantee policies layered on top.
Robert Half also notes that permanent placement demand is historically more sensitive to labor-market conditions than contract talent demand. Investors should therefore treat this stream as both high-margin and more cyclical.
Primary sources: Robert Half second-quarter 2026 Form 10-Q, Kforce second-quarter 2026 Form 10-Q, and Kelly Services second-quarter 2026 Form 10-Q.
Part of the Professional Staffing & Talent Solutions Economics
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- KELYAOpen operating-model research →1 of 10 reviewed concepts in Professional Staffing & Talent Solutions Economics
- KFRCOpen operating-model research →10 of 10 reviewed concepts in Professional Staffing & Talent Solutions EconomicsPermanent placement and contract-to-hire economics4 of 4 bridge concepts supportedContinue through this bridge:Average Placement FeePermanent Placement CountStaffing Conversion Revenue
- RHIOpen operating-model research →10 of 10 reviewed concepts in Professional Staffing & Talent Solutions EconomicsPermanent placement and contract-to-hire economics4 of 4 bridge concepts supportedContinue through this bridge:Average Placement FeePermanent Placement CountStaffing Conversion Revenue
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Compare permanent placement mix
Compare recruiting fee revenue with attention to placement counts, fee levels, guarantee timing, and its much higher gross-margin profile.
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