Melbourne has a large and competitive recruitment industry, with hundreds of agencies operating across the city spanning permanent, contract, and temporary placements. The right recruitment company depends on your industry, seniority level, and whether you need specialist or generalist support.
Types of Recruitment Companies in Melbourne
Melbourne agencies generally fall into two categories: generalist firms that cover a wide range of roles and industries, and specialist agencies that focus on a specific sector. Generalist firms such as Hays, Robert Half, and Michael Page operate across accounting, administration, IT, and marketing. Specialist agencies tend to place candidates more precisely within a niche, for example, firms like Finite Recruitment (technology and digital), Beaumont People (not-for-profit), or Six Degrees Executive (executive and mid-level management).
Executive search firms sit at the higher end of the market, handling senior and board-level appointments on a retained basis. These include Korn Ferry, Spencer Stuart, and a number of boutique firms based in Melbourne’s CBD.
How Melbourne Recruitment Agencies Typically Charge
For permanent placements, agencies charge the employer a fee calculated as a percentage of the candidate’s annual salary, usually between 12% and 20%. Contract and temporary placements work differently, with agencies billing an hourly or daily margin on top of the contractor’s pay rate. Candidates are not charged fees by legitimate recruitment companies. If an agency asks a job seeker to pay for placement services, that is a red flag worth noting.
What to Look for When Choosing a Recruitment Company
Industry specialisation matters more than agency size. A recruiter who places roles in your sector daily will have a stronger candidate network and a better read on current salary benchmarks than a large generalist with shallow coverage in your field. It is worth asking any agency how many roles they have filled in your specific discipline in the past six months and what their average time-to-fill looks like.
Location within Melbourne can also be relevant. Some agencies are CBD-focused, while others have offices in suburban areas like Richmond, South Melbourne, or St Kilda Road and may have stronger connections to businesses located outside the inner city.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a recruitment agency and a labour hire company?
A recruitment agency typically places candidates into permanent or fixed-term roles where the candidate becomes an employee of the client business. A labour hire company employs the workers itself and supplies them to client businesses on a temporary basis, remaining the employer of record throughout the engagement. Some firms in Melbourne offer both services.
How long does it take a Melbourne recruitment agency to fill a role?
Time frames vary considerably by role type and seniority. Temporary and entry-level positions can be filled within days. Mid-level permanent roles typically take two to six weeks from briefing to offer acceptance. Senior or specialist roles can take eight to twelve weeks or longer, particularly where the candidate pool is narrow.
Do I need to register with multiple agencies?
Registering with two or three agencies that are active in your industry increases your exposure to roles, as different agencies hold exclusive arrangements with different employers. Registering with more than three or four rarely improves outcomes and can occasionally cause complications if the same role is submitted by multiple agencies simultaneously.
