11 Best Engineering Staffing Agencies in 2026 (Compared)

The best engineering staffing agencies in 2026 are Apollo Technical, Actalent, Kelly Engineering, Yoh, PEAK Technical, Insight Global, Randstad, TRS Staffing Solutions, KORE1, Burnett Specialists and NES Fircroft.

The right choice depends on what you are hiring: one hard-to-find controls engineer, a 40-person contract team across three plants, or project engineers for a Gulf Coast energy build. Below we compare all 11 on headquarters, hiring models, engineering disciplines, cost, strengths and honest limitations.

A note on bias: Apollo Technical wrote this list and ranks itself first. We explain why, and we list our own limitations the same way we list everyone else’s. Facts about every other firm come from that firm’s own website or a named third-party source, checked in September 2026 and linked at the end. No firm paid to be included.

Best engineering staffing agencies at a glance

#	Agency	Headquarters	Hiring models	Engineering focus	Best for
1	Apollo Technical	Smyrna, GA (metro Atlanta)	Contract, contract-to-hire, direct hire, payroll	Mechanical, electrical, controls, civil, structural, CAD, manufacturing, data center	Specialist searches with a short list of vetted candidates
2	Actalent	Hanover, MD	Contract, managed programs, engineering services	Product, manufacturing, civil, power, aerospace	Large contract engineering programs
3	Kelly Engineering	Troy, MI	Contract, direct placement, outcome-based projects	Auto, aerospace, semiconductor, medical device	Manufacturers and device makers
4	Yoh	Philadelphia, PA	Contract, consulting, RPO, MSP	Hardware, embedded, firmware, chip design	Electronics and product companies
5	PEAK Technical	Pittsburgh, PA	Contract, contract-to-hire, direct, MSP, payroll	Engineers, designers, drafters, technicians	Whole engineering teams
6	Insight Global	Atlanta, GA	Contract, contract-to-perm, permanent, RPO	Aerospace, electrical, mechanical, semiconductor	Volume hiring across engineering and IT
7	Randstad	Atlanta, GA (US)	Temporary, flex-to-perm, permanent, project services	Controls, electrical, mechanical, structural	Multi-site employers
8	TRS Staffing Solutions	Greenville, SC	Contract, direct hire, MSP, RPO, SOW	Oil and gas, power, nuclear, infrastructure	Capital projects and EPC work
9	KORE1	Irvine, CA	Contract, contract-to-hire, direct, retained	Mechanical, electrical, MEP, controls, embedded	Mid-market specialist hires
10	Burnett Specialists	Houston, TX	Temporary, temp-to-hire, direct hire	Process, petroleum, instrumentation, civil	Texas energy and process employers
11	NES Fircroft	UK (Americas hub: Houston)	Contract, permanent, EOR, MSP, RPO	Oil and gas, LNG, chemicals, renewables, power	Energy contractors at scale

How we chose these agencies

Most lists of engineering recruiters mix in software development shops, offshore contractors and firms that stopped doing engineering staffing years ago. We used five tests:

1. Real engineering staffing. The firm must place engineers in traditional disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, civil, controls, process or product engineering, not only software developers.
2. Verifiable facts. Headquarters, history and services had to be confirmed on the firm’s own site or a reputable third-party source.
3. Range of hiring models. We favored firms that offer more than one way to hire, because most engineering teams need contract help and permanent hires at different times.
4. Transparency. Published pricing, guarantees or third-party rankings counted in a firm’s favor.
5. A clear best-fit buyer. Every firm on this list is the right answer for someone. We say who.

We left out Aerotek, whose engineering units were separated into Actalent in 2021, and Belcan, which Cognizant acquired in 2024 and which now presents itself mainly as an engineering services firm rather than a staffing agency.

The 11 best engineering staffing agencies in 2026

1. Apollo Technical

Apollo Technical recruits only engineers, IT professionals and supply chain talent. That focus is why we rank it first for most engineering hires. Recruiters who work nothing but technical searches can screen for the software, codes, certifications and plant experience a role actually needs, so hiring managers review a short list of qualified people instead of a stack of keyword matches.

• Headquarters: Smyrna, GA (metro Atlanta). Founded in 2010, with recruiting teams covering Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin/San Antonio, Tampa/Orlando, Raleigh/Charlotte, Columbia/Greenville and Chicago. Apollo also recruits nationally.
• Hiring models: contract/temporary, contract-to-hire, direct hire, and payroll services for people you found yourself.
• Disciplines: mechanical, electrical, controls and PLC, civil and structural, chemical and process, manufacturing, quality, medical device, RF and telecom, data center engineering, and CAD designers and drafters working in SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Revit, Civil 3D and similar tools.
• How you pay: direct hire is contingent, with no upfront fee; you pay only if you hire a candidate Apollo presents. Contractors are Apollo W2 employees, E-Verified, with payroll taxes, unemployment insurance and workers compensation covered, and you pay only for hours worked. After an agreed contract period you can hire a contractor directly with no additional fee.
• Strength: specialist recruiters plus every common hiring model under one roof. A mid-size employer can start with a contractor and convert, or go straight to direct hire, with the same recruiter. Apollo states it typically presents qualified candidates within 24 to 48 hours.
• Limitation: Apollo is much smaller than Actalent, Kelly or Randstad. It does not run large managed service programs or outsourced engineering projects, and its local teams are concentrated in the Southeast, Texas and Chicago.
• Best for: manufacturers, engineering firms, data center builders and technology companies that want a specialist partner for individual or small-team engineering hires.

See the full list of positions and software Apollo recruits for on its engineering staffing agency page, or request engineering talent.

2. Actalent

Actalent is the scale leader. It launched in July 2021 when Allegis Group combined Aerotek’s engineering and sciences divisions with EASi, and Staffing Industry Analysts has ranked it the largest US engineering staffing firm for three consecutive years, with about 10.5 percent of the market according to Actalent.

• Headquarters: Hanover, MD. Part of Allegis Group.
• Size: about 30,000 consultants and 6,100 clients (Actalent, August 2025).
• Hiring models: contract talent, managed talent programs, and project work through Actalent Services.
• Disciplines: product and manufacturing, civil and architecture, environmental, power and utilities, construction management, systems and software, aerospace and defense.
• Strength: the deepest contract engineering bench in the country, plus the option to outsource a whole project.
• Limitation: built around contract and managed programs for large companies. Direct hire is not among its stated service lines, and a small employer with one opening may get less attention.
• Best for: Fortune 500 companies and large OEMs running contract engineering programs.

3. Kelly Engineering

Kelly Engineering is the engineering practice inside Kelly Services’ science, engineering, technology and telecom business. It says it recruited more than 2,500 engineering professionals last year and serves more than 1,000 client locations.

• Headquarters: Troy, MI. Kelly Services was founded in 1946.
• Hiring models: contract staffing, direct placement and outcome-based projects.
• Disciplines: automotive and aerospace, semiconductor and electronics, medical device, chemical and energy, advanced manufacturing and automation.
• Strength: clearly defined industry practices, and Kelly says its engineering recruiters have hands-on engineering experience.
• Limitation: one unit inside a very large, broad workforce company, so service can vary by local team.
• Best for: manufacturers and semiconductor, medical device, automotive and aerospace companies.

4. Yoh

Yoh, a Day and Zimmermann company, has placed engineers since the 1940s and supported NASA’s Mercury and Gemini programs early in its history. It says it has appeared on Staffing Industry Analysts’ list of the largest engineering staffing firms for 12 years in a row.

• Headquarters: Philadelphia, PA.
• Size: more than 6,000 active contractors (Yoh).
• Hiring models: contract staffing, consulting, recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), managed service provider (MSP) programs and employer of record.
• Disciplines: product engineering, including hardware, embedded software, firmware and chip design, plus technology and life sciences.
• Strength: more than 80 years of engineering staffing and strong enterprise program options.
• Limitation: its published engineering work leans toward product and electronics engineering, with little evidence of civil or construction engineering.
• Best for: electronics, technology and life science product companies, and large employers that want an MSP or RPO program.

5. PEAK Technical Staffing USA

PEAK Technical has recruited technical talent since 1968 and covers the whole engineering team: engineers, designers, drafters and technicians.

• Headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA.
• Hiring models: contract, contract-to-hire, direct placement, MSP, RPO and payroll or employer of record.
• Disciplines: mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical, aerospace and biomedical engineers, plus CAD designers using SolidWorks, CATIA and Revit.
• Strength: every hiring model, including payroll, for every level of the engineering team.
• Limitation: publishes few figures on size or results, which makes it harder to compare.
• Best for: mid-market manufacturers and OEMs that need designers and technicians as well as engineers.

6. Insight Global

Insight Global, founded in Atlanta in 2001, is one of the largest staffing firms in the country and has an engineering practice alongside its much larger IT business.

• Headquarters: Atlanta, GA. Privately held.
• Hiring models: contract, contract-to-permanent, permanent, RPO, retained executive search and professional services.
• Disciplines: aerospace, biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, process, semiconductor and systems engineering.
• Strength: scale and speed. Insight Global reports about 50,000 hires in 2024.
• Limitation: it describes itself as the second-largest IT staffing firm, and engineering is one of many practices.
• Best for: large companies that want one vendor for engineering and IT contract hiring at volume.

7. Randstad

Randstad USA, the US arm of Netherlands-based Randstad N.V., offers engineering and design staffing as well as outsourced engineering project services.

• Headquarters: Atlanta, GA (US).
• Hiring models: temporary, flex-to-perm, permanent placement and engineering project services, including embedded software, chip design and mechanical engineering and drafting.
• Disciplines: controls, electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, process, quality, reliability and structural engineering across aerospace, automotive, construction and electronics.
• Strength: national reach combined with the option to outsource engineering work.
• Limitation: a very broad firm, and engineering is one of many lines of business.
• Best for: large multi-site employers that want scale.

8. TRS Staffing Solutions

TRS Staffing Solutions is a business line of Fluor Corporation, one of the largest engineering and construction companies in the world. It has staffed capital projects since 1984.

• Headquarters: Greenville, SC, with offices worldwide including Houston.
• Hiring models: contract, direct hire, MSP, RPO and statement-of-work programs.
• Disciplines: oil, gas and chemicals, renewables, power and nuclear, infrastructure, mining, automotive and life sciences.
• Strength: understands engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) project staffing from design through commissioning.
• Limitation: built for large projects and less suited to a single product-engineering hire at a small company.
• Best for: energy, power and infrastructure owners and EPC contractors.

9. KORE1

KORE1, founded in Irvine in 2005, is an independent recruiting firm with engineering, IT and finance practices.

• Headquarters: Irvine, CA.
• Hiring models: contract, contract-to-hire, direct hire, retained search and workforce planning.
• Disciplines: mechanical, electrical, MEP and building systems, civil, structural, power, controls and robotics, embedded and firmware, manufacturing and quality.
• Strength: a detailed engineering specialty list and every common hiring model.
• Limitation: its best-known practices are IT and finance, and its published retention figures are self-reported.
• Best for: mid-market companies hiring specialist engineers.

10. Burnett Specialists

Burnett Specialists has recruited in Texas since 1974. It is employee-owned and a certified woman-owned business, and it operates as Choice Specialists in Dallas.

• Headquarters: Houston, TX, with offices in six Texas cities.
• Hiring models: temporary and contract, temp-to-hire, direct hire and payrolling.
• Disciplines: process, chemical, petroleum, offshore, instrumentation, controls, civil, structural, electrical, mechanical and environmental engineering.
• Strength: five decades of Texas relationships and strong energy and process-industry experience.
• Limitation: Texas only, and a generalist agency that also staffs office, accounting and IT roles.
• Best for: Texas energy, petrochemical and engineering firms.

11. NES Fircroft

NES Fircroft was formed in 2020 when NES Global Talent, founded in 1978, merged with Fircroft. It is one of the largest engineering and technical staffing firms serving energy and heavy industry.

• Headquarters: United Kingdom, with its Americas hub in Houston since 2001.
• Hiring models: contract, permanent, executive search, employer of record, MSP, RPO and payroll.
• Disciplines: oil and gas, LNG, chemicals, renewables, mining, nuclear and power.
• Strength: a deep energy contractor bench plus contractor payroll, compliance and international mobilization.
• Limitation: mostly energy and resources, so it is a poor fit for product, aerospace or medical device engineering.
• Best for: energy operators and EPC contractors that need contract engineers at scale.

Hiring models compared

Not every engineering staffing agency offers every way to hire. Not stated means the firm does not list the option on its site, not that it refuses the work.

Agency	Contract	Contract-to-hire	Direct hire	Programs or projects
Apollo Technical	Yes	Yes	Yes	Payroll services
Actalent	Yes	Not stated	Not stated	Managed programs, SOW projects
Kelly Engineering	Yes	Not stated	Yes	Outcome-based projects
Yoh	Yes	Not stated	Not stated	MSP, RPO, employer of record
PEAK Technical	Yes	Yes	Yes	MSP, RPO, payroll
Insight Global	Yes	Yes	Yes	RPO, professional services
Randstad	Yes	Yes	Yes	Engineering project services
TRS Staffing Solutions	Yes	Not stated	Yes	MSP, RPO, SOW
KORE1	Yes	Yes	Yes	Retained search
Burnett Specialists	Yes	Yes	Yes	Payrolling
NES Fircroft	Yes	Not stated	Yes	MSP, RPO, employer of record

Which engineering staffing agency fits your hiring need

If you need to hire	Start with
One hard-to-fill engineer at a mid-size or large company	Apollo Technical, KORE1
A contractor you may want to keep permanently	Apollo Technical, PEAK Technical
A large contract engineering program across several sites	Actalent, Kelly Engineering, Randstad
Hardware, embedded or chip design engineers	Yoh, Kelly Engineering
Designers, drafters and technicians along with engineers	Apollo Technical, PEAK Technical
Engineers for an energy, EPC or capital project	TRS Staffing Solutions, Burnett Specialists (Texas)
Engineering and IT contractors from one vendor at volume	Insight Global
Energy contractors mobilized at scale, including internationally	NES Fircroft

What engineering staffing agencies cost

Engineering staffing agencies charge the employer, never the candidate. Direct hire is usually a one-time fee based on the engineer’s first-year base salary. Contract work is billed hourly, and the bill rate covers the engineer’s pay plus the agency’s payroll taxes, insurance and margin. Fees vary by discipline, seniority, market and volume, so compare written terms, including the replacement guarantee.

Model	How you pay	Best used for
Contingency direct hire	One fee based on first-year salary, only if you hire	Permanent engineering roles
Retained search	Fee paid in stages to reserve the search	Engineering directors and other leadership roles
Contract	Hourly bill rate for hours worked	Projects, peaks, leaves and backfills
Contract-to-hire	Hourly bill rate, then conversion under agreed terms	Testing fit before a permanent offer
Payroll services	Small markup for payroll and administration	Engineers you found yourself

For more detail, see our guides to how a staffing agency works, engineering placement fees, retained search and contract staffing vs direct hire.

How to choose an engineering staffing agency

1. Ask what share of their placements are engineers. A firm that mostly fills office or light industrial roles will struggle with a controls or structural engineer.
2. Test the recruiter on your role. Can they explain the difference between the software, codes or certifications your job needs? If not, expect keyword matching.
3. Match the hiring model to the work. Use contract for defined projects, contract-to-hire when fit is uncertain, and direct hire for core roles.
4. Get fees and guarantees in writing. Compare the fee, the replacement period and the conversion terms for contractors.
5. Check who employs contractors. A reputable agency employs contractors on W2, runs E-Verify and carries workers compensation.
6. Ask for local proof. Recent placements in your metro and discipline matter more than national size.
7. Expect a short list. Three to five screened candidates beats twenty resumes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best engineering staffing agency?

For most mid-size and large employers making specialist engineering hires, we recommend Apollo Technical because it recruits only technical talent and offers contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire. For very large contract programs, Actalent is the largest. For energy capital projects, TRS Staffing Solutions is purpose-built.

What is the largest engineering staffing agency in the US?

Actalent. Staffing Industry Analysts ranked it the largest US engineering staffing firm for the third consecutive year in 2025, according to Actalent.

Is Aerotek still an engineering staffing agency?

No. In 2021 Allegis Group moved Aerotek’s engineering and sciences divisions into a new company, Actalent. Aerotek now focuses on industrial, skilled trades and similar roles.

How much does an engineering staffing agency charge?

Direct hire fees are usually a percentage of first-year base salary, paid only when you hire. Contract engineers are billed at an hourly rate that includes pay, payroll costs and the agency margin. Ask for the exact percentage, markup and replacement guarantee in writing before you start a search.

Do engineers pay staffing agencies to find them jobs?

No. Reputable engineering staffing agencies are paid by the employer. Engineers should never pay a fee to be placed.

How fast can an engineering staffing agency fill a role?

It depends on the discipline, location, pay and how quickly you interview. Specialist firms often present candidates within days; Apollo Technical states it typically presents qualified candidates within 24 to 48 hours. Senior, licensed or niche roles take longer, and slow interview feedback is the most common cause of lost candidates.

Should I use contract or direct hire for engineers?

Use contract for defined projects and demand spikes, contract-to-hire when you want to see the engineer’s work before committing, and direct hire for long-term core roles. See contract staffing vs direct hire for a full comparison.

Sources

Facts checked September 2026. Firms can request a correction through our contact page.