Portland employers fill roles across a wide mix of industries: manufacturing and food processing on the east side, semiconductors and electronics in the Silicon Forest to the west, plus law firms, healthcare systems, apparel brands and nonprofits downtown. When a role has to be filled quickly, or a team needs extra hands for a season, many companies call a staffing agency Portland hiring managers already know, rather than posting and screening on their own.
This guide to the Top Staffing Agencies In Portland, Oregon In 2027 covers ten firms with a confirmed office in Portland or the nearby metro (Lake Oswego, Beaverton, Hillsboro). It mixes general temp agencies, temp-to-hire specialists and firms that focus on IT, accounting, legal and light industrial work. Local, independently owned firms make up most of the list, alongside a few national brands that run a real Portland branch.
Each firm was checked against its own website: office address, services offered, specialties and track record. If you are also hiring senior leaders, see our list of top executive search firms in Portland, Oregon.
Staffing Agencies In Portland At A Glance
Company
Portland Base
Best For
Notable Detail
NW Staffing Resources
SW 6th Avenue, Downtown Portland
Office, legal and light industrial temp staffing
Privately owned since 1985
VanderHouwen
S Macadam Avenue, Portland
IT, engineering and accounting contract roles
Family-owned, founded in 1987
Boly:Welch
SW 6th Avenue, Downtown Portland
Accounting, HR, legal and admin staffing
Founded in 1986, WBENC certified
BeginRight Employment Services
NE 122nd Avenue, Portland
Clerical, light industrial and trades
Family-owned, started in 1986
ProFocus Technology
SW Eastridge Street, Portland
IT contract and contract-to-hire staffing
Best of Staffing Platinum award
Emerald Staffing
Meadows Road, Lake Oswego
Temp, contract-to-hire and permanent placement
Locally owned since 1978
Staffing Solutions
SW Broadway, Downtown Portland
Legal, administrative and IT staffing
Nearly 30 years in the Portland market
Cinder
NE Amberglen Parkway, Hillsboro
Technical, HR and finance project staffing
ISO 9001:2015 certified
PrideStaff Portland West
SW Crescent Street, Beaverton
Warehouse, manufacturing and office temps
Temp-to-hire and direct recruiting
Elwood Staffing Portland East
NE 102nd Avenue, Portland
General, professional and skilled trades staffing
National network founded in 1980
Best Staffing Agencies In Portland, Oregon
1. NW Staffing Resources — Privately Owned Temp And Direct Placement Firm Since 1985
NW Staffing Resources is a privately owned temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct placement firm founded in 1985. Its corporate office and Legal Northwest division sit at 851 SW 6th Avenue in downtown Portland, and it also lists locations in Beaverton, Clackamas, Vancouver and Longview in Washington, Warrenton on the Oregon coast, and Sacramento.
On the temporary side, the firm hires for office and administrative, light industrial and warehouse, and customer service jobs. Temp-to-hire and direct placement work covers clerical, legal, finance and accounting, medical and dental support, and IT or technical roles. It also runs a food processing division, event staffing, candidate testing and background checks, and payroll services.
NW Staffing Resources received a 2025 ClearlyRated Best of Staffing award for client and talent satisfaction. It suits employers that want one temp agency Portland offices and warehouses can both use.
2. VanderHouwen — Family-Owned IT, Engineering And Accounting Staffing Since 1987
VanderHouwen was established in 1987 by Kirby and Kathy VanderHouwen, when the Pacific Northwest technology industry was still emerging. The family-owned firm is based at 6342 S Macadam Avenue in Portland and has since expanded to serve clients nationally.
Its recruiting covers technology, engineering, accounting and finance, human resources and business operations. Employers can hire on a contract, contract-to-hire or direct basis, and the firm also runs an executive search practice. VanderHouwen has held WBENC certification as a women-owned business since 2008.
VanderHouwen fits technology and engineering teams that need contractors with specific skills, as well as finance departments covering a leave or a project.
Technology and engineering recruitment
Accounting, finance and HR staffing
Contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire
3. Boly:Welch — Professional Staffing For Accounting, HR, Legal And Admin Roles
Boly:Welch was founded in 1986 by Diane Boly and Pat Welch and works from 1050 SW 6th Avenue, Suite 1425, in downtown Portland. The firm offers recruiting, contract staffing, HR consulting and executive search.
Its specialties are accounting and finance, human resources, legal, office administration, marketing and advertising, and footwear and apparel, a nod to the Portland region’s large athletic and outdoor brand sector. The firm displays both its Women’s Business Enterprise (WBENC) certification and its B Corp certification on its site.
Boly:Welch is a good match for employers hiring professional office staff, either on contract or permanently, and for companies that may later need help with a leadership search from the same firm.
BeginRight started as a direct hire placement agency in 1986 and grew into a direct hire and temporary staffing firm across the Northwest. It is family-owned and was founded by owner and CEO Joanne Bell. The corporate office is at 3708 NE 122nd Avenue in Portland, with metro branches in Tigard, Milwaukie and Vancouver, Washington, plus offices in Redmond and Phoenix.
The firm specializes in clerical, light industrial and trades placements. Its site lists roles such as warehouse, production and packaging, electrical and mechanical assembly, metal fabrication and welding, maintenance mechanics, forklift operation and food preparation. It offers direct hire, temporary and seasonal placement. The U.S. Small Business Administration named BeginRight its 2020 Oregon Family-Owned Small Business of the Year.
BeginRight fits manufacturers and distributors on the east side and in Clackamas County that need production staff on short notice.
ProFocus Technology is headquartered at 10200 SW Eastridge Street in Portland and has provided technology staffing and consulting for more than a decade. Its staffing options include contract, contract-to-hire, direct hire, statement of work engagements and nearshore or offshore talent.
On the consulting side, the firm lists AI and analytics, cloud modernization, Agile and program leadership, project rescue and fractional CIO or CTO work. ProFocus reports earning a Best of Staffing Platinum award for more than ten years of service, and it was named one of Oregon’s Healthiest Employers.
ProFocus suits IT departments that need specialist contractors or a project team. Companies weighing contractors against an outside provider can also compare managed IT services providers in Portland.
6. Emerald Staffing — Locally Owned Lake Oswego Agency Established In 1978
Emerald Staffing was established in 1978 and describes itself as a locally owned, family owned and operated agency. Its office is at 5285 Meadows Road, Suite 190, in Lake Oswego, a short drive south of downtown Portland.
The agency offers temporary staffing, contract-to-hire and permanent placement, along with executive search. Its support services include candidate screening, on-site interviewing rooms, HR consulting, weekly pay by direct deposit, OregonSaves compliance, ACA and ERISA wrap compliance and an OSHA safety partnership. Client feedback on the site mentions accounting, administrative and technical placements. John Burton, Jr. has served on the Oregon board of the American Staffing Association.
Emerald works well for small and midsize employers that want an employment agency Portland area owners can reach directly, with compliance support included.
Staffing Solutions has nearly 30 years in the Portland metro and Southwest Washington markets and works from 610 SW Broadway, Suite 500, downtown. The firm traces its roots to co-founder Zeta Rennie’s permanent placement business. Temporary staffing, a legal division and IT, clerical and legal services were added as the team grew.
It offers direct hire, contract-to-hire and temporary staffing. Legal placements include paralegals, legal assistants, law clerks, attorneys and in-house counsel. The administrative, professional and IT side covers receptionists, administrative assistants, accounting and finance staff, and IT support and systems roles.
Staffing Solutions fits downtown law firms and professional offices that need trained support staff for a trial, a busy season or a permanent opening.
8. Cinder — ISO-Certified Technical And Professional Recruiting In Hillsboro
Cinder is a recruiting company specializing in technical, HR, finance and other professional roles. Its office is at 1385 NE Amberglen Parkway, Suite 100, in Hillsboro, close to the Silicon Forest employers on Portland’s west side.
Services include project-based staffing, temp-to-hire and direct hire recruiting, with placements from entry level to executive leadership. Cinder also offers team-based staffing, where it can ramp up and manage entire teams, including onboarding, training and performance management. Its site lists 25 industry sectors, including medical device and diagnostics, and nonprofit and government services. Cinder holds ISO 9001:2015 certification.
Cinder suits west side technology and life sciences companies that need a project team or a set of technical hires.
PrideStaff Portland West is the Beaverton branch of the national PrideStaff network, located at 12600 SW Crescent Street, Suite 180. The office offers contract and temporary staffing, temp-to-hire staffing and direct recruiting.
Its specialties include accounting and finance, administrative and clerical, customer service and call center, distribution and supply chain, manufacturing and production, and warehouse and logistics. PrideStaff reports earning ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent 15-Year Diamond Awards for the third consecutive year.
The branch is a practical choice for Washington County distribution centers and manufacturers that want a national brand with a local office in Beaverton.
10. Elwood Staffing — National Network With A Portland East Branch
Elwood Staffing traces its history to 1980, when Dr. David L. Elwood founded Elwood Consulting as a pre-employment testing provider. The company is headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, and runs a Portland East branch at 1307 NE 102nd Avenue, in Northeast Portland.
Elwood places workers in temporary, temporary-to-hire, contract and direct hire positions. Its work is organized into general staffing, professional search and skilled trades staffing divisions, and it offers recruiting, screening and employment verification for employers.
Elwood suits employers near the Columbia Corridor that want a large network behind their temporary workforce and access to skilled trades candidates.
How To Choose A Staffing Agency In Portland
Do They Recruit For Your Type Of Role?
Portland staffing agencies tend to specialize. A firm built around warehouse and production shifts screens candidates differently from one that places paralegals or cloud engineers. Ask for recent placements in your job category and how many active candidates they have for it right now.
Which Hiring Models Do They Offer?
Most agencies on this list offer temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire options, but terms differ. Ask about conversion fees if you want to hire a temp permanently, minimum assignment lengths, and whether the agency can payroll workers you have already found.
Where Is Their Office Relative To Your Site?
For shift work, distance matters. An agency with a branch near your plant or warehouse usually has a deeper pool of nearby workers. Branches in Gresham, Clackamas, Beaverton, Hillsboro and Vancouver each draw from different labor pools.
How Do They Screen And Support Workers?
Ask what testing, background checks and safety training happen before a worker arrives, and who handles timesheets, Oregon paid leave rules and workers’ compensation. Satisfaction awards such as ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing are useful signals, but references from employers like you are better.
How Will Costs Fit Your Budget?
Temp rates are usually quoted as a markup on the worker’s pay rate, while direct hire fees are a share of first-year salary. Get both in writing and compare them against local wages. Our guides to the cost of living in Portland and how to start a business in Portland cover the local cost picture in more detail.
Conclusion
The right staffing agency Portland employers choose depends on the work. NW Staffing Resources, BeginRight and Elwood cover high-volume office and industrial staffing. VanderHouwen, ProFocus and Cinder focus on technical and professional roles, and Boly:Welch, Staffing Solutions and Emerald serve office, legal and finance teams that want a local relationship.
Shortlist two or three firms that already place your type of role, ask each for references and a written rate sheet, and start with a trial assignment before you commit to a larger contract.
