Sectors & Industries IndustrialsStaffing & Employment Services
Best Staffing & Employment Service Stocks to Buy Now (2026)
Top staffing & employment service stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +32.52% per year, and are the best staffing & employment service stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Staffing & Employment Ser...

Growth Financials Momentum Sentiment Forecast Dividends Due Diligence

Staffing & Employment Services is Zen Rated C and is the 70th ranked industry out of 145 stock market industries

Ticker	Company	Price	Graham Fair Value	Graham Fair Value %	P/E	Forward P/E	P/S	P/B	PEG	Free Cash Flow	Free Cash Flow Yield	Book Value	BVPS	EV	EV/EBITDA
KFY	KORN FERRY	$66.44	$38.86	70.97%	12.93x	12.38x	1.19x	1.72x	2.07x	$287.95M	8.40%	$2.00B	38.83	$3.07B	6.28
UPWK	UPWORK INC	$10.35	$14.56	-28.94%	11.90x	7.03x	1.74x	2.14x	0.36x	$223.12M	16.27%	$630.32M	4.76	$1.42B	7.93
MAN	MANPOWERGROUP INC	$30.27	N/A	N/A	-104.38x	8.16x	0.08x	0.68x	N/A	-$161.40M	-11.44%	$2.06B	44.20	$2.62B	11.11
KFRC	KFORCE INC	$45.21	$23.09	95.80%	22.72x	19.95x	0.58x	6.87x	1.27x	$43.31M	5.59%	$117.36M	6.85	$899.76M	15.98
BZ	KANZHUN LTD	$13.52	$46.07	-70.65%	15.17x	1.54x	5.02x	2.13x	0.11x	$657.46M	10.79%	$2.94B	6.52	$5.69B	9.56
ZIP	ZIPRECRUITER INC	$2.92	N/A	N/A	-7.89x	-15.22x	0.58x	-3.19x	N/A	$3.48M	1.34%	-$77.20M	-0.86	$616.14M	42.37
HQI	HIREQUEST INC	$11.57	$4.87	137.64%	25.71x	22.68x	5.27x	2.37x	1.64x	$11.99M	7.42%	$68.32M	4.90	$158.09M	16.22
TNET	TRINET GROUP INC	$45.78	$37.27	22.84%	13.58x	10.54x	0.44x	25.34x	0.83x	$278.00M	12.92%	$83.00M	1.77	$1.59B	4.50
PAYX	PAYCHEX INC	$92.63	$43.52	112.83%	20.36x	16.52x	5.25x	8.27x	1.69x	$2.09B	6.29%	$4.01B	11.19	$36.41B	12.68
BBSI	BARRETT BUSINESS SERVICES INC	$31.53	N/A	N/A	14.80x	16.60x	0.65x	3.30x	N/A	$47.18M	5.84%	$241.00M	9.41	$520.65M	6.01
RHI	ROBERT HALF INC	$26.61	$21.27	25.13%	20.01x	18.02x	0.50x	2.11x	0.65x	$266.81M	10.02%	$1.28B	12.74	$2.47B	8.96
ADP	AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING INC	$211.94	$83.24	154.60%	19.70x	19.13x	3.94x	13.34x	2.92x	$4.85B	5.69%	$6.35B	15.81	$85.79B	12.80
KELYA	KELLY SERVICES INC	$9.76	N/A	N/A	-1.35x	9.02x	0.08x	0.34x	N/A	$115.10M	33.60%	$976.50M	27.82	$460.00M	-18.04
TBI	TRUEBLUE INC	$5.49	N/A	N/A	-3.41x	-95.98x	0.10x	0.60x	N/A	-$73.72M	-44.99%	$274.56M	9.20	$127.75M	-22.16
NSP	INSPERITY INC	$35.57	N/A	N/A	-187.21x	16.44x	0.20x	29.17x	N/A	-$309.00M	-23.03%	$46.00M	1.22	$1.05B	16.20
NIXX	NIXXY INC	$0.60	N/A	N/A	-0.82x	N/A	0.13x	2.02x	N/A	-$4.57M	-37.33%	$7.98M	0.39	$16.78M	-1.35
BGSF	BGSF INC	$5.69	N/A	N/A	-5.47x	-34.87x	0.67x	1.33x	N/A	$4.00k	0.00%	$48.11M	4.36	$44.18M	-6.64
GLXG	GALAXY PAYROLL GROUP LTD	$1.07	N/A	N/A	-0.54x	N/A	0.55x	0.55x	N/A	-$3.57M	-185.05%	$3.49M	1.93	-$2.06M	0.62
IPDN	PROFESSIONAL DIVERSITY NETWORK INC	$0.78	N/A	N/A	-0.37x	N/A	0.37x	0.68x	N/A	-$2.09M	-87.50%	$11.75M	3.81	$6.57M	-1.06
JOB	GEE GROUP INC	$0.23	N/A	N/A	-0.73x	N/A	0.27x	0.49x	N/A	$453.00k	1.78%	$49.97M	0.46	$8.75M	-0.39
ATLN	ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL CORP	$1.49	N/A	N/A	-1.38x	-2.39x	0.19x	-3.68x	N/A	-$4.46M	-5.44%	-$32.09M	-0.59	$205.83M	-4.72
STRR	STAR EQUITY HOLDINGS INC	$9.70	N/A	N/A	-5.24x	13.85x	0.18x	0.55x	N/A	-$8.36M	-26.94%	$65.71M	20.55	$50.29M	-28.28
MHH	MASTECH DIGITAL INC	$6.55	$24.28	-73.02%	131.00x	7.21x	0.40x	0.87x	0.09x	$10.76M	13.98%	$89.31M	7.60	$43.56M	12.30

Staffing & Employment Service Stocks FAQ

What are the best staffing & employment service stocks to buy right now in May 2026?

According to Zen Ratings, our proprietary rating system that evaluates 115 factors proven to drive growth in stocks and assigns each stock in our system an overall letter grade as well as 7 individual Component Grades for Value, Growth, Momentum, Sentiment, Safety, Financials, and proprietary AI algorithms, the 3 best staffing & employment service stocks to buy right now are:

1. Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY)

Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY) is the #1 top staffing & employment service stock out of 23 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY) is: Value: B, Growth: C, Momentum: D, Sentiment: C, Safety: A, Financials: B, and AI: B.

Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY) has a Due Diligence Score of 52, which is 18 points higher than the staffing & employment service industry average of 34.

KFY passed 18 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Korn Ferry has seen its stock return 7.68% over the past year, overperforming other staffing & employment service stocks by 35 percentage points.

Korn Ferry has an average 1 year price target of $73.00, an upside of 9.87% from Korn Ferry's current stock price of $66.44.

Korn Ferry stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 3 analysts covering Korn Ferry, 66.67% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 33.33% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

2. Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK)

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) is the #2 top staffing & employment service stock out of 23 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) is: Value: A, Growth: C, Momentum: F, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) has a Due Diligence Score of 59, which is 25 points higher than the staffing & employment service industry average of 34.

UPWK passed 19 out of 33 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Upwork has seen its stock lose -21.29% over the past year, overperforming other staffing & employment service stocks by 6 percentage points.

Upwork has an average 1 year price target of $22.90, an upside of 121.26% from Upwork's current stock price of $10.35.

Upwork stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 10 analysts covering Upwork, 50% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 20% have issued a Buy, 30% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Manpowergroup (NYSE:MAN)

Manpowergroup (NYSE:MAN) is the #3 top staffing & employment service stock out of 23 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Manpowergroup (NYSE:MAN) is: Value: C, Growth: B, Momentum: F, Sentiment: C, Safety: A, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Manpowergroup (NYSE:MAN) has a Due Diligence Score of 24, which is -10 points lower than the staffing & employment service industry average of 34. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates MAN as a "B".

MAN passed 8 out of 38 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Manpowergroup has seen its stock lose -29.72% over the past year, underperforming other staffing & employment service stocks by -3 percentage points.

Manpowergroup has an average 1 year price target of $34.40, an upside of 13.64% from Manpowergroup's current stock price of $30.27.

Manpowergroup stock has a consensus Hold recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 5 analysts covering Manpowergroup, 0% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 20% have issued a Buy, 80% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

What are the staffing & employment service stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 12 staffing & employment service stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 staffing & employment service stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. Robert Half (NYSE:RHI)

Robert Half (NYSE:RHI) has an annual dividend yield of 8.87%, which is 5 percentage points higher than the staffing & employment service industry average of 3.7%. Robert Half's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Robert Half's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Robert Half's dividend payout ratio of 177.4% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

2. Insperity (NYSE:NSP)

Insperity (NYSE:NSP) has an annual dividend yield of 6.75%, which is 3 percentage points higher than the staffing & employment service industry average of 3.7%. Insperity's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% two times in the last 10 years. Insperity's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Insperity's dividend payout ratio of -1,263.2% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

3. Manpowergroup (NYSE:MAN)

Manpowergroup (NYSE:MAN) has an annual dividend yield of 4.76%, which is 1 percentage points higher than the staffing & employment service industry average of 3.7%. Manpowergroup's dividend payout is not stable, having dropped more than 10% one times in the last 10 years. Manpowergroup's dividend has not shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Manpowergroup's dividend payout ratio of -496.6% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Why are staffing & employment service stocks down?

Staffing & employment service stocks were down -0.8% in the last day, and up 6.78% over the last week.

We couldn't find a catalyst for why staffing & employment service stocks are down.

What are the most undervalued staffing & employment service stocks?

Based on the Valuation rating, one of the 7 components of a stocks overall Zen Ratings grade, which evaluates factors including estimated earnings yield, earnings before interest and taxes/enterprise value, cash flow yield, free cash flow to price, and price-to-earnings growth (PEG ratio), the 3 most undervalued staffing & employment service stocks right now are:

1. Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK)

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) is the most undervalued staffing & employment service stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Upwork has a valuation score of 71, which is 44 points higher than the staffing & employment service industry average of 27. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Upwork's stock has dropped -21.29% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the staffing & employment service industry by 6 percentage points.

2. Trinet Group (NYSE:TNET)

Trinet Group (NYSE:TNET) is the second most undervalued staffing & employment service stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Trinet Group has a valuation score of 43, which is 16 points higher than the staffing & employment service industry average of 27. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Trinet Group's stock has dropped -41.55% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the staffing & employment service industry by -15 percentage points.

3. Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY)

Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY) is the third most undervalued staffing & employment service stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Korn Ferry has a valuation score of 43, which is 16 points higher than the staffing & employment service industry average of 27. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Korn Ferry's stock has gained 7.68% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the staffing & employment service industry by 35 percentage points.

Are staffing & employment service stocks a good buy now?

31.25% of staffing & employment service stocks rated by analysts are a buy right now. On average, analysts expect staffing & employment service stocks to rise by 19.96% over the next year.

0% of staffing & employment service stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 25% of staffing & employment service stocks are rated B (Buy), 62.5% are rated C (Hold), 12.5% are rated D (Sell), and 0% are rated F (Strong Sell).

What is the average p/e ratio of the staffing & employment services industry?

The average P/E ratio of the staffing & employment services industry is 15.97x.

WallStreetZen does not provide financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security.

Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes and is not advice. WallStreetZen does not bear any responsibility for any losses or damage that may occur as a result of reliance on this data.

Staffing & Employment Service Stocks FAQ

1. Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY)

2. Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK)

3. Manpowergroup (NYSE:MAN)

1. Robert Half (NYSE:RHI)

2. Insperity (NYSE:NSP)

3. Manpowergroup (NYSE:MAN)

1. Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK)

2. Trinet Group (NYSE:TNET)

3. Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY)

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