Top 20 Recruitment Agencies in New Zealand in 2025

What is recruitment and the recruitment industry?

Recruitment agencies in New Zealand are great resources for job seekers looking to establish a career in the country. Recruitment agencies can help you get jobs faster than you could by yourself. The main way they do this is by matching job seekers with employers who have appropriate roles that the candidate may be suitable for. Recruitment agencies will assess your skills and experience to decide which roles are best suited to your capabilities. They will discover what areas you have expertise and experience in, as well as uncover any personal goals or areas of interest that might be beneficial for an employer to know about. This allows them to match you with specific jobs that are tailored around your unique skillset and goals. Job seekers also benefit from recruitment agencies because they act as a go-between between the job seeker and prospective employers, taking some of the stress out of the process of finding a job. By acting on behalf of their clients, recruiters can remove much of the hassle associated with applying for roles yourself - often negotiating pay rates or persuading potential employers why their client would be suitable for a position. This takes pressure off applicants and allows them to focus their energies on building relationships with potential employers rather than worrying about how best to present themselves on paper or at an interview. Finally, recruitment agencies will stay in contact with both jobseekers and employers until the final stages of a potential placement have been sorted out - allowing successful candidates peace-of-mind knowing theyre being supported right through until they begin their new role!

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How Recruitment Agencies in New Zealand can help you find a job?

Finding a job in New Zealand can be challenging due to the large number of employers and job seekers competing for available positions. There is also a tight labour market, so hiring processes often take longer than anticipated. The current pandemic has made finding a job even more difficult as businesses are having to streamline their recruitment processes, such as advertising fewer roles or hiring less staff initially. Recruitment agencies in New Zealand can help make the process of securing employment easier. They can provide valuable information on open positions, interview tips and feedback on applications. Recruitment agencies help match the right person with the right job. They are also able to provide advice and support throughout the recruitment process. They may also be able to help applicants prepare resumes and cover letters to stand out from other applicants and showcase their skillsets effectively. Recruitment agencies also have expertise in certain sectors or industries which gives them access to exclusive roles or positions that other applicants may not know about yet, allowing a greater chance of success when it comes to gaining employment in New Zealand. Finally, recruitment agencies can provide job seekers with invaluable assistance when trying to negotiate salary or working conditions as they have extensive knowledge of these matters from years of experience working within their specialist industry sector or profession.

What do Recruitment & Staffing Agencies in New Zealand do?

Finding qualified talent is incredibly challenging for many companies, especially in the era of the Great Resignation. Reviewing and filtering appropriate job applications, interviewing selected candidates , then negotiating salaries all consume significant time away from a business owner’s existing obligations. If the process is not done properly, the worst outcome may result in a non-suitable candidate, which can be costly and detrimental to the hiring business.

Which is why some employers partner with recruitment and staffing agencies, to alleviate the time and effort out of the search for candidates by providing their own workers for open roles. But also, utilise the expertise of the agency to find the best candidate available.

Independent employment agencies may also help businesses by headhunting highly skilled or specialised workers, particularly in the private sector. Such as:

Personnel placement services (Full-Time Jobs & Contract Jobs)
On-boarding experienced, highly qualified and skilled independent contractors (typically IT Contractors, Civil Engineers, or Creative Freelancers) for project delivery
Staffing services, also known as temporary help services, or temping jobs
Executive search firms. Also known as Talent Headhunters

What are the pros and cons of employing external Recruitment & Staffing Agencies in New Zealand?

The pros of using external recruitment agencies vs in house recruitment

Higher quality candidates, faster!
Access to Specialist recruitment knowledge and expertise not found in-house
Recruitment agencies reduce business liability
Staffing agencies reduce time to hire. Speed to hire is critical in the recruitment industry
Staffing agencies have deep talent pools of available or potentially candidates businesses do not have access to
Staffing agencies save employers money by reducing hiring the best talent and helping to avoid common recruitment mistakes businesses are unaware of

The cons of using recruitment agencies

Higher cost
Identifying cultural fit can be difficult for external recruitment agencies
Lack of employer branding and limited understanding of the company and its culture
Little accountability for external agencies if they only present poor candidates

Job Hunter Seeker in New Zealand in 2025

What is the Hiring Process Recruitment Agencies follow to find and hire Job Seekers find Jobs in New Zealand in 2025

Identify the hiring requirements from the business/hiring manager

Find out what is important to the team. Technical skills, personality, attitude, ability to learn

Write a job description

Include all the Work and Personality requirements. It is also essential for staffing and recruitment agencies to sell the business to jobseekers. If the Job Ad does not suitably reflect the business values and work opportunity, it is highly likely that the business may not continue to use the employment agency in the future

Advertise the Job

Use popular job portals in New Zealand such as gigexchange.com

Review Applications

Filtering down candidates to only suitable applicants is a key requirement for external recruitment companies

Phone Interview/Initial Screening

Initial gauge by recruiter of the applicant to understand jobseekers requirements and scope their personality and soft skills

Interviews

Initial interviews are typically one-on-one with hiring manager
Technical interview
HR Interview and/or wider team introductions
Final interviews

Applicant Reviews

Which candidates fit the job description best. Which candidates fit the company culture best?

Background Checks

Important to identify any skeletons in the closet (especially undisclosed ones). Social Media is a common pitfall jobseekers overlook, which recruiters screen

Make a Decision

Whether this is a combination of HR &/or Hiring Manager. Someone has to decide who to offer the job to

Reference Check

Ensure all the work history and skills/qualifications listed are accurate

Present the offer

Don't take too long to get to this point, so of the best candidates aren’t on the market for very long. Especially true in the contracting marketplace

Onboard the new employee

Ensure everything from account creation, hardware (laptop/phone), software products and access permissions, onboarding plan, buddy/mentor and compliance requirements are present with the candidate and they are comfortable with their new work environment, colleagues and role