# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for recruiting agencies (small businesses) on 2026-09-10

## In short

On 2026-09-10, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best recruiting agencies for small businesses". It named 11 brands, in this order: Robert Half, Express Employment Professionals, Insight Global, Randstad, Dover, Korn Ferry.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best recruiting agencies for small businesses |
| Asked on | 2026-09-10 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 11 |
| Sources cited | 11 |
| Audience | small businesses |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-09-10 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/recruiting-agencies-small-businesses-2026-09-10
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-09-10 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> For most small businesses, the right agency depends on the kind of role you're filling. This is the order I'd give them in:
> 
> 1. **Robert Half**: my first pick for office, admin, accounting/finance and general IT roles. It's one of the largest staffing firms, founded in 1948 with 400+ locations, so it probably has an office near you. It does temp, temp-to-hire and direct hire. The downside is price: direct-hire fees run about 20-30% of salary and contract markups 50-100%, which is the high end of the industry. ([South review](https://www.hireinsouth.com/post/robert-half-review), [RemotePeople review](https://remotepeople.com/providers/robert-half-review/))
> 
> 2. **Express Employment Professionals**: best for hourly, light industrial, warehouse and front-office roles. It has about 850 locally owned franchise offices, which tends to suit small employers who want a local contact. It covers temp, temp-to-hire ("evaluation hire") and full-time placement. Note that what I found about Express came from franchise listings, not client reviews. ([1851 Franchise](https://1851franchise.com/expressemployment/info))
> 
> 3. **Insight Global or TEKsystems**: for technical or IT hires. Both have strong U

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Half | mentioned |
| 2 | Express Employment Professionals | recommended |
| 3 | Insight Global | mentioned |
| 4 | Randstad | mentioned |
| 5 | Dover | mentioned |
| 6 | Korn Ferry | mentioned |
| 7 | Fees | mentioned |
| 8 | Workable | mentioned |
| 9 | Zoho | mentioned |
| 10 | Zoho Recruit | mentioned |
| 11 | Rankings | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://www.hireinsouth.com/post/robert-half-review (other)
- https://remotepeople.com/providers/robert-half-review/ (other)
- https://1851franchise.com/expressemployment/info (other)
- https://goldenitinc.com/comparing-it-staffing-robert-half-vs-teksystems-vs-insight-global-vs-golden-technology/ (other)
- https://www.petegabi.com/blog/best-recruiting-agencies-usa-employers-2026/ (other)
- https://www.dover.com/blog/fractional-recruiter-costs (vendor)
- https://floodgatemedical.com/feeds/blog/recruitment-agency-startup (other)
- https://www.isgpartners.com/blog/flat-fee-vs-contingency-recruiting (other)
- https://www.workflowconsultingco.com/post/flat-fee-recruiting-vs-traditional-recruiting-for-small-businesses-explained (other)
- https://peoplemanagingpeople.com/services/best-recruiting-firms/ (other)
- https://capterra.com/recruiting-software/s/small-businesses/ (review)

The question page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/recruiting-agencies/small-businesses

Answer Watch records what one AI answer engine said on one date, nothing more. Each page names the engine and the model, carries the date the question was asked, and lists the brands that appeared in the answer in the order the engine gave them, with the sources it cited. It is a measurement, not a ranking, not a recommendation and not a claim about the world. Brands that did not appear in an answer are not named on any public page. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.