Agency Recruiters

Definition and Meaning

Agency recruiters act as a third-party hiring agency or recruitment service that sources, screens, and places appropriate candidates for their employer’s open positions. Recruiters are hired by their clients to assist with bulk recruiting, hiring specialised skills, or urgently filling job openings. Agency recruiters may also provide other related services, such as employment verification and background checks.

Key HR Highlights 

• Provide immediate access to larger candidate pools through outsourcing.
• Mostly utilized for large volume staff hires and for Specialists.
• The internal HR Department workload is reduced during peak volume recruiting opportunities.
• Typically provide Contingent or Retainer-based Recruitment Services.
• Integrated into Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and Human Resource Management Software (HRMS), so all recruitment activities can be tracked from one location.

Legal Compliance 

While agency recruiters are not subject to specific statutory compliance, it is important that all companies:

• Clearly state in written contracts what role(s) an agency will fulfil, their fees, and confidentiality regarding the handling of candidate data.
• Comply with all applicable labour laws when a Recruitment Agency supplies employers with Agency Workers.
• Comply with the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act of 1970 (where it is applicable).
• Handle all candidate data in accordance with the data privacy policies of their respective employers.

Develop vendor agreements with all recruitment agencies before entering into any business relationship with them, and conduct due diligence of such agencies.