Companies turn to staffing firms as flexible hiring gains ground

More companies are turning to staffing agencies and manpower consultancies to meet their hiring needs, according to search data by local search engine Justdial.

Searches for staffing agencies rose 22% across India between August 2025 and July 2026 from the year-earlier period. Staffing agencies help companies hire people for temporary or contract roles, particularly in the blue-collar workforce.

Among major cities, Bengaluru recorded the highest growth in searches at 32%, followed by Chennai at 23%. Mumbai and Delhi each recorded a 16% increase.


“As businesses navigate evolving market conditions, fluctuating workforce requirements and faster project timelines, traditional hiring models are increasingly being complemented by flexible recruitment strategies,” Justdial said in a release.

Searches for manpower consultancies, which mostly help with white-collar hiring, also rose 10% across the country during the period. Chennai led with a 15% increase, followed by Ahmedabad at 8%, while Delhi and Bengaluru each recorded 7% growth, according to the release.

The search data reflects a steady rise in demand for both staffing agencies and manpower consultancies across India.

“At the same time, professionals are becoming more open to contract, temporary and project-based roles that offer quicker access to employment opportunities. The growing adoption of AI and technology is also contributing to changing skill requirements, prompting businesses to seek more agile ways of accessing specialised talent,” the company said.

According to Justdial, Bengaluru’s strong growth points to sustained demand from technology-driven industries, while Chennai’s increase across both staffing agencies and manpower consultancies highlights expanding workforce requirements across manufacturing, industrial and services sectors.

“Steady growth in Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad indicates that flexible hiring is steadily becoming an integral part of workforce planning across diverse industries,” Justdial said.