The largest staffing firms in Orange County combined for a modest increase in revenue last year, coming off a small dip in 2013.
This week’s Business Journal list ranks the 21 biggest employment agencies here by 2014 revenue from their OC operations. The entries had $720.4 million in local revenue, up by about $16 million, or 2%, from 2013.
The general trend for local staffing firms had been one of steady growth except for 2013’s setback; revenues had been growing year-over-year since 2010.
Nine of the 21 companies on this year’s list logged revenue increases, while three reported decreases. Figures for the remaining nine were flat based on Business Journal estimates.
The list includes other figures, such as companywide revenues, number of OC employees, and number of permanent and temporary workers placed, though they don’t affect the rankings.
The companies employ 1,107 workers in Orange County, up by nearly 6% year-over-year.
• Select Staffing kept its place at the top of the list, with $109.8 million in revenue from its OC operations, down 2%.
The Santa Barbara-based company, which has seven offices in OC, had companywide revenue of $2.1 billion last year, up 6%.
Regional President Gunnar Gooding said the company had “a very strong year in 2014 … although a couple of our large customers left California due to the high cost of doing business.”
The company also “parted ways with some customers that refused to share in the significant costs associated with our compliance with the Affordable Care Act” employer mandate, he said. “[But] our client base grew in size and we experienced year-over-year growth excluding the departed clients.”
Select Staffing has 54 employees in OC, up by two. The local office placed nearly 15,000 temporary workers for the 12 months through March, down about 14% from the same period a year earlier.
“The demand for temporary workers rose last year as new jobs were created,” Gooding said. “More than ever, companies are using interim employees as part of their staffing mix. As 2014 came to a close, temporary workers as a percentage of U.S. employment reached an all-time high of 2.04%. Over the past several years, it has become increasingly clear that flexible staffing has become an important part of how employers manage their work flows and control labor costs.”
Manpower
• Manpower Inc.’s OC revenue fell by 8% to $45 million, but its overall revenue increased 3% to $20.8 billion. The Milwaukee-based firm, which ranks No. 7, is the biggest by far on the list in terms of companywide revenue.
The second highest overall revenue was $5.4 billion, notched by Aerotek Inc., a Hanover, Md.-based firm with one office here, in Santa Ana. Its OC revenue was an estimated $68.5 million. The firm last year had 74 workers and didn’t provide an updated figure.
About half of the companies on the list—11—are headquartered here.
• Irvine-based Kimco Staffing Services Inc. is No. 5, with $52.1 million in OC revenue, up by 12%.
Its OC operations made up about 34% of companywide revenue, which totaled $152.5 million, up 18%.
Kimco has 117 local employees in 11 offices. It has placed more than 5,000 temporary workers and nearly 800 permanent workers over the year through March, up 4% and 11%, respectively.
This year’s list has three newcomers:
• Brea-based Solugenix Corp. debuted at No. 15, with $17.9 million in local revenue, up 47%, or $5.8 million, the largest percentage and dollar value gain on the list. Companywide revenue grew 7% to $29.4 million.
It employs 122 here, up by 39. Its OC office placed 120 permanent workers, up 58%.
Vice President Damola Akinola said the company focused on “strengthening and growing our relationships with existing clients” last year. “We also invested in expanding our delivery capabilities … to those clients. The overall improvement in the macro-economy was also a factor in our growth.”
Akinola added that companies today “have a more nuanced approach to outsourcing and are now less likely to equate outsourcing to offshoring,” which creates “an opportunity for companies like ours that are focused on delivering high-quality services from the U.S.”
• Mission Viejo-based Dawson & Dawson Staffing Inc. debuted at No. 20, with $4.3 million in revenue, up 30%. The firm, which operates from its sole office here, has 14 employees, up by five.
Dawson & Dawson has been on the Business Journal’s annual list of fastest-growing private companies for two years. It doubled its revenue over the two years through June 2014 to $4 million following a two-year growth of 260%.
The firm placed 225 temporary workers and 115 permanent workers over the past year through March, up 21% and 28%, respectively.
