As a small business owner, managing your finances is likely at the top of your list. However, it can be burdensome to handle so many financial decisions on a daily basis. A finance staffing agency can connect you with skilled professionals. Whether you need a part-time bookkeeper, an accountant during tax season, or a full-time chief financial officer, they can find the right match for your business needs.

At Pearl Talent, we help our clients build strong financial teams from our top global talent pools. We rigorously vet candidates for technical expertise, industry experience, and expertise from financial reporting to cash flow management. With our seamless hiring process, you can skip the endless search and get connected with top finance talent in no time.

With our expertise in evaluating finance staffing agencies, we will:

• Clearly define what a finance staffing agency is and how it operates
• Break down why small businesses benefit from outsourcing financial hiring
• Highlight the top finance recruiting firms for small businesses
• Outline the key financial roles you can fill through a staffing agency
• Explore the advantages of working with accounting staffing agencies
• Provide actionable tips on selecting the right finance staffing agency
• Offer insights into pricing structures and what to expect when budgeting for financial staffing services

After reading, you will be able to confidently choose an accounting and finance staffing agency that aligns with your business goals, budget, and hiring needs.

What Is a Finance Staffing Agency?

A finance staffing agency is a recruitment firm that connects employers with qualified professionals in accounting and finance. It streamlines the hiring process, saving businesses’ time and resources. Through its industry expertise, extensive networks, and rigorous vetting, a finance staffing agency can also source top candidates who may not be actively searching.

Finance staffing agencies offer various staffing models to meet different business needs:

• Temporary Staffing: Provides short-term finance professionals for specific projects, seasonal peaks, or to cover employee absences. It offers flexibility for businesses dealing with fluctuating workloads or temporary skill gaps.
• Temp-to-Hire: Allows companies to evaluate potential employees on the job before making a permanent hiring decision. It reduces the risk of mismatches and improves long-term retention rates.
• Direct Hire: Agencies assist in recruiting and placing permanent finance employees. They handle the entire process, from sourcing candidates to facilitating interviews and negotiating job offers.
• Outsourced Finance Teams: Some finance staffing agencies offer fractional CFOs, bookkeepers, or financial consultants for businesses that consistently need financial expertise without wanting to hire full-time staff.

When Should Small Businesses Work With a Finance Staffing Agency?

Small businesses can struggle to hire within finance and accounting, where specialized skills are essential and scarce. Nearly 49% of small businesses looking to hire report difficulty finding candidates with the right expertise.

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Many companies struggle to hire financial analysts, controllers, and risk managers due to a lack of in-house hiring expertise. This is even harder as Gen Z, now entering the workforce in large numbers, only makes up about 5.4% of accountants and auditors nationwide. 

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A finance staffing agency can help by leveraging industry knowledge and networks to find qualified candidates that small businesses might otherwise miss. Agencies are also valuable for time-sensitive hiring needs, such as tax season, audits, or financial reporting deadlines.  

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Furthermore, economic uncertainty can make businesses hesitant to commit to full-time hires. As a result, temporary or fractional finance roles present as a more practical solution. To meet this demand, staffing agencies help by connecting businesses with skilled professionals for short-term or project-based needs.

15 Finance Staffing Agencies for Small Businesses

Small businesses often need flexible hiring solutions, so many turn to staffing agencies specializing in finance talent. Here are 15 top finance staffing agencies for startups and small businesses.

1. Pearl Talent

Pearl Talent is a staffing agency that connects businesses with top-tier global talent from the Philippines, Latin America, and South Africa. With experience supporting over 200 startup founders and clients backed by Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), we specialize in sourcing highly skilled operators in under 15 business days. Our rigorous selection process, refined through 200,000+ interviews, ensures only the top 1% of candidates qualify.

Key Services Offered by Pearl Talent

Pearl Talent connects organizations with skilled finance professionals, including accountants, bookkeepers, insurance billing specialists, and financial analysts. These professionals have the expertise to manage accounts, handle financial reporting, process insurance claims, and oversee financial data.

Business Sizes and Industries that Pearl Talent Serves

Pearl Talent best suits startups, mid-sized companies, and scaling enterprises. Businesses in healthcare, e-commerce, real estate, private equity, venture capital, legal services, and executive coaching benefit most from Pearl Talent’s ability to source skilled professionals across finance, customer support, marketing, and administrative roles.

Hiring Models Offered by Pearl Talent

Pearl Talent offers a unique hiring model that connects companies with top-tier global talent across various industries and roles.

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• Managed Services Model: The employer of record acts as the employer, handling all HR compliance and payroll for a monthly fee of approximately $3,000 per hire. This option includes unlimited replacements, which is ideal for companies scaling quickly.
• Direct Placement Model: Pearl Talent operates as a traditional recruiter, charging a one-time flat fee of $7,500 to place talent directly onto the client’s payroll. This model includes a 90-day guarantee and best suits companies with internal resources to manage new hires.

2. Robert Half

Robert Half is a global leader in finance and accounting staffing, with over 75 years of experience in connecting businesses with talent. Established in 1948, the finance staffing agency is known for its extensive candidate network, rigorous vetting process, and industry expertise.

Key Services Offered by Robert Half

Robert Half specializes in staffing finance and accounting professionals across various roles, including accounting managers, controllers, financial analysts, internal auditors, senior accountants, and staff accountants. Additionally, they offer consulting solutions for businesses needing financial planning, compliance, and risk management expertise.

Business Sizes and Industries that Robert Half Serves

Robert Half is best suited for mid-sized to large businesses across industries such as technology, finance, legal, marketing, operations, and human resources. Their expertise spans cloud computing, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, finance transformation, digital marketing, legal consulting, and supply chain management.

Hiring Models Offered by Robert Half

Robert Half’s staffing solutions include temporary placements for short-term projects, permanent hires for long-term roles, and executive search services for high-level leadership positions.

3. Vaco

Vaco is a global talent solutions and consulting firm founded in 2002 by Brian Waller and Jay Hollomon, former Big Four professionals. The company has over 10,000 employees and more than 35 offices worldwide. Vaco provides staffing and consulting services in various industries, including accounting and finance. It has appeared on Inc. Magazine’s fastest-growing private companies list for 15 years and Forbes’ Best Recruiting Firms list from 2018 to 2021.

Key Services Offered by Vaco

Vaco specializes in sourcing finance and accounting professionals for roles such as controllers, CFOs, accounting managers and directors and payroll specialists. Vaco also helps augment teams with skill sets to tackle accounting projects including financial reporting, tax accounting, and treasury and cash management. 

Business Sizes and Industries that Vaco Serves

Vaco serves businesses of all sizes and industries that require flexible financial talent. Their services are ideal for companies managing fluctuating workloads, specialized projects, or requiring interim leadership in finance roles.

Hiring Models Offered by Vaco

Vaco offers direct hire, executive search, contract staffing, and managed services.

4. Kforce

Kforce is a staffing firm that connects finance and accounting professionals with businesses across the U.S. The company places more than 35,000 candidates in roles each year, serving over 4,000 clients. Kforce supports both employers and job seekers with additional services such as onboarding, training, and mentorship programs.

Key Services Offered by Kforce

Kforce specializes in recruiting finance and accounting professionals for various roles, including financial planning and analysis, data and analytics, regulatory and compliance, transactional and operational accounting, and banking and consumer lending.

Business Sizes and Industries that Kforce Serves

Kforce provides employment solutions and consulting for businesses of all sizes in technology, finance, and accounting. They’ve served 4,000+ clients, including 70% of the Fortune 100.

Hiring Models Offered by Kforce

Kforce provides contract, contract-to-hire, and direct-hire staffing solutions to help businesses scale their teams efficiently.

5. Randstad

Randstad is a finance staffing agency that leverages AI-driven talent matching and predictive analytics to streamline hiring processes. With a presence in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia, Randstad combines global reach with local expertise to provide tailored recruitment solutions.

Key Services Offered by Randstad

Randstad specializes in placing professionals across various finance positions, including business analysts, financial analysts, and financial reporting managers. They can also help source internal audit managers and auditors.

Business Sizes and Industries that Randstad Serves

Randstad is best for businesses of all sizes seeking qualified finance professionals for temporary projects or long-term placements.

Hiring Models Offered by Randstad

Randstad offers temporary staffing, flexible-to-permanent staffing, and permanent recruitment.

6. Kelly Services

Kelly Services is a global finance staffing agency that focuses on accounting and finance recruitment. With decades of experience, it specializes in matching businesses with highly skilled finance professionals. Kelly fills over 144,000 positions yearly, including 54,000 positions in accounting and finance.

Key Services Offered by Kelly Services

Kelly Services can help place a range of finance and accounting roles, including HQ controller, head of finance and control, and manager-level positions in finance and accounts. They also place specialists in investment accounting, R2R, accounts receivable, and payroll.

Business Sizes and Industries that Kelly Services Serves

Kelly Services is ideal for businesses of all sizes looking for reliable finance professionals. 

Hiring Models Offered by Kelly Services

Kelly Services provides flexible hiring models, including temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire placements.

7. Insight Global

Insight Global is a leading staffing agency specializing in placing professionals across multiple industries, including finance. With over 3,000 recruiters and account managers, the company sources talent from more than 50 countries and provides end-to-end staffing solutions, including search, candidate curation, onboarding, and payroll management.

Key Services Offered by Insight Global

Insight Global has experience sourcing highly skilled finance professionals, including chartered financial analysts, controllers, financial advisors, and financial analysts.

Business Sizes and Industries that Insight Global Serves

Insight Global serves companies of all sizes across various industries, including financial services, technology, healthcare, and manufacturing.

Hiring Models Offered by Insight Global

Insight Global provides a range of staffing options to meet diverse hiring needs, including long-term and short-term contracts for flexible workforce solutions. They also offer temporary-to-permanent positions.

8. Sparks Group

Sparks Group is a leading staffing and recruiting agency specializing in finance, IT, creative, and administrative talent. With over 50 years of experience, they have primarily served the D.C. metro area while connecting companies nationwide with top-tier professionals. They operate in multiple locations, including MD, VA, DC, NC, FL, and TX.

Key Services Offered by Sparks Group

Sparks Group specializes in mortgage, credit unions, and banking finance roles.

Business Sizes and Industries that Sparks Group Serves

Sparks Group is ideal for businesses of all sizes, including companies and nonprofit organizations, particularly those in financial services, IT, and creative industries.

Hiring Models Offered by Sparks Group

Sparks Group offers temporary staffing, contract-to-hire, and full-time recruiting services. For full-time placements, including senior and executive-level finance roles, they offer both contingency search and engaged/retained search fee structures.

9. Palmer Staffing Services

Palmer Staffing Services is known for its hands-on approach, providing candidates aligned with business needs, time constraints, and workplace culture. With divisions specializing in legal and professional staffing, they provide a 6-month unconditional guarantee for direct hire placements.

Key Services Offered by Palmer Staffing Services

Palmer specializes in staffing for various roles, including accountants, financial analysts, bookkeepers, administrative assistants, receptionists, executive assistants, office managers, legal assistants, and contract specialists.

Business Sizes and Industries that Palmer Staffing Services Serves

Palmer Staffing Services is ideal for businesses in financial services, consulting, government, law firms, nonprofits, and technology that require highly skilled professionals in accounting, administration, legal, and IT roles.

Hiring Models Offered by Palmer Staffing Services

Palmer Staffing Services offers temp, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire placements.

10. JustinBradley

JustinBradley is a women-owned staffing firm with 20 years of proven service. They specialize in providing financial, accounting, and business talent through their recruiting initiatives. They have a network of CPAs, MBAs, and experienced finance leaders to meet client needs quickly and efficiently.

Key Services Offered by JustinBradley

JustinBradley specializes in finance-related roles such as accounting and finance, project management, business analysis, systems implementation, change management, procurement, contracts, and data analysis.

Business Sizes and Industries that JustinBradley Serves

JustinBradley has a track record of helping businesses looking for high-quality financial and business professionals, focusing on those needing contingent workforce solutions, executive search, or financial systems expertise.

Hiring Models Offered by JustinBradley

JustinBradley offers various hiring solutions, including contingent workforce solutions, recruiting and temporary staffing, executive search, and financial systems solutions.

11. NRI Staffing Resources

NRI is a leading employment agency serving the Washington, DC metro area, including Virginia and Maryland. The agency prides itself on long-term client relationships and personalized service to provide employers and job seekers dedicated attention throughout the hiring process.

Key Services Offered by NRI Staffing Resources

NRI Staffing Resources provides accounting and finance staffing solutions for companies and CPA firms.

Business Sizes and Industries that NRI Staffing Resources Serves

NRI’s services are ideal for businesses in the DC metro area, particularly in the finance, healthcare, legal, and administrative sectors.

Hiring Models Offered by NRI Staffing Resources-DC

NRI offers temporary, temp-to-hire, and permanent placement recruitment.

12. Green Key Resources 

Green Key Resources is a leading executive recruiting firm specializing in accounting and finance. With a people-first approach, they have built strong relationships with top decision-makers across industries, matching talent with businesses ranging from private firms to Fortune 500 companies.  

Key Services Offered by Green Key Resources

Green Key Resources specializes in placing professionals in finance and accounting roles, including Chief Financial Officers, public accountants, directors of finance, corporate accountants, tax professionals, financial analysts, financial/SEC reporting specialists, and controllers.

Business Sizes and Industries that Green Key Resources Serves

Green Key Resources serves small private firms to Fortune 500 companies, particularly within investment banking, hedge funds, private equity, and banking institutions.

Hiring Models Offered by Green Key Resources

Green Key Resources offers executive recruitment, business services, permanent placement, contract consulting, temp-to-hire, and temporary staffing.

13. CornerStone Staffing

CornerStone Staffing is a recruitment agency with tenured recruiters in Texas and Arizona. They specialize in consulting companies on hiring strategies for in-office and remote positions, supporting businesses across multiple industries in Texas, Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Key Services Offered by CornerStone Staffing

Green Key Resources places professionals in finance and accounting roles including accounting managers, senior accountants, staff accountants, finance managers, tax directors, AP specialists, dealership controllers, and supervision principals.

Business Sizes and Industries that CornerStone Staffing Serves

CornerStone Staffing is best suited for finance, accounting, healthcare, technology, sales, and customer service businesses. They serve companies of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises.

Hiring Models Offered by CornerStone Staffing

As a finance staffing agency, CornerStone Staffing offers affordable contract and temp finance staffing, helping small businesses scale their teams without long-term commitments.

14. Tiger Recruitment

Tiger Recruitment is a global recruitment agency that places exceptional support staff across various industries. Established in 2001, it initially focused on administrative and personal assistant recruitment before expanding into HR, financial, private staff, and technology recruitment. Tiger Recruiting has offices across the globe, including London, New York, Dubai, Zurich, and Dublin.

Key Services Offered by Tiger Recruitment

Tiger Recruitment recruits finance professionals at various levels, including, but not limited to, CFOs, finance directors and financial controllers, auditors, risk managers and compliance analysts, and accountants.

Business Sizes and Industries that Tiger Recruitment Serves

Tiger Recruitment is ideal for businesses of all sizes looking for high-caliber financial talent. It offers tailored recruitment solutions in finance and accounting.

Hiring Models Offered by Tiger Recruitment

Tiger Recruitment offers multiple hiring solutions, including permanent placements, temporary hires, temp-to-perm transitions, and contract-based roles.

15. Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm specializing in executive finance recruitment. With a presence across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and multiple locations in Europe and Asia, the firm serves various companies. Beyond recruitment, Korn Ferry provides leadership consulting and succession planning to support long-term organizational growth.

Key Services Offered by Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry specializes in recruiting executive finance roles, including chief financial officers (CFOs), compliance officers, financial analysts, and M&A specialists.

Business Sizes and Industries that Korn Ferry Serves

Korn Ferry serves various industries, including consumer markets, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, industrial and technology.

Hiring Models Offered by Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry offers contract recruiting services, including talent acquisition, executive search, and professional search.

What Finance Roles Can You Hire By Partnering With a Finance Staffing Agency?

Finding the right finance professionals can be challenging, especially when you need specialized expertise. A finance staffing agency streamlines this process by connecting businesses with qualified candidates who align with their industry and operational needs.  

Here are the most common finance and accounting positions staffing agencies assist with:

• Accountants and auditors
• Accounts payable/receivable specialists
• Chief Financial Officers
• Controllers
• Credit analysts
• Financial analysts
• Payroll specialists
• Risk and compliance officers
• Tax specialists
• Treasury analysts

Staffing agencies match candidates with jobs by leveraging industry expertise, databases, and screenings to find the right fit. They help businesses hire efficiently while supporting job seekers in finding roles that align with their skills and career goals.

What Are the Benefits of Hiring an Accounting Staffing Agency?

Partnering with an account staffing agency provides businesses with a number of advantages. Here are some key benefits:

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• Access to a Large Pool of Pre-Vetted, Qualified Candidates: Provides a wide network of candidates with specialized accounting skills and experience.
• Time and Cost Savings: Conducts screening, interviewing, and background checks.
• Increased Flexibility: Offers the flexibility to scale staffing up or down based on business needs, which is especially valuable for seasonal demands or special projects.
• Reduced Hiring Risks: Thoroughly screens candidates, minimizing hiring risks. Many agencies also offer temporary-to-permanent staffing options.
• Specialized Industry Knowledge: Matches candidates to specific accounting roles and company cultures, providing a better fit for both parties.

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These benefits can help your company streamline hiring while staying flexible to changing needs. You can also continue focusing on your core operations and scale effectively while keeping costs in check.

8 Tips on How to Choose an Accounting Staffing Agency

With so many agencies offering various services, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here are key factors to consider so you can focus on what truly matters for your business: 

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1. Business Objectives: Choose an agency that aligns with your company’s goals and long-term strategy. For instance, if your company expands into the healthcare industry, partner with an agency with deep connections within healthcare organizations.
2. Service Scope and Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Evaluate the agency’s service offerings and SLAs to confirm they match your needs. If your company needs to fill 10 senior-level positions within 6 months, the agency should be able to provide a specific number of candidates monthly.
3. Support Availability: Choose an agency that offers 24/7 support or operates in flexible time zones to accommodate urgent requests.
4. Costs and Pricing Structure: Request a transparent breakdown of costs, including any hidden fees. Compare this total cost with the agency's value in terms of candidate quality.
5. Communication and Reporting: Verify that the agency provides regular updates and reports on the recruitment process. These reports should include the number of candidates screened, interviews scheduled, and any roadblocks encountered.
6. Geographic Reach: Consider agencies with expertise in the regions you’re hiring for. They’ll better understand the local job markets and any legal nuances.
7. Reputation and Reviews: Look beyond testimonials and seek in-depth feedback from past clients. Ask for case studies where the agency successfully helped companies like yours.
8. Technology and Tools: Evaluate the technology the agency uses to streamline the recruitment process. Some agencies use AI-driven platforms to source candidates, which can help you quickly identify high-quality applicants by screening resumes and matching skills to your job requirements.

What is the Pricing of Accounting Staffing Agencies?

Accounting staffing agency pricing depends on expertise, hiring model, and reputation. Here’s a breakdown of fees businesses can expect:

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• Contingency Fee: Typically range from 15% to 30% of the candidate's first-year salary. This fee structure is common for permanent placements and only paid after successful hires.
• Hourly Rate: Charges a flat hourly bill rate for every hour worked by a temporary employee.
• Project-Based: Charges a fixed fee for a specific project, offering predictability but requires accurate scoping for profitability.
• Flat Fee: Charges a fixed fee per hire or offers a discounted package for multiple hires.
• Retainer Fee: Retainer fees are paid in three phases: an upfront fee (25% to 30%), a progress payment (40% to 50%), and a completion fee (20% to 25%). This model is common for executive or specialized hires.

Key Takeaway

We have seen how finance staffing agencies can make hiring easier for all businesses. Companies can focus on their work while experts handle the hiring process and finding skilled professionals quickly. Ultimately, choosing a finance staffing agency should depend on your business’s needs, budget, and growth goals. 

It is important to understand the cost of using finance staffing agencies and weighing the costs into your budget. Agencies usually charge a percentage of the employee’s salary. While there is an upfront cost, the benefits of fast, high-quality hiring can often outweigh the investment.

Looking for a finance staffing agency to find top talent without the hassle? Pearl Talent connects small businesses with highly skilled finance professionals, including bookkeepers and account managers. Regardless what industry you’re in, we source top candidates quickly to find the right fit for your needs. Contact Pearl Talent to build a strong financial team.

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