What is Managed Staffing?
Managed staffing is a hybrid model that combines staffing agency recruiting with employer-of-record legal employment and ongoing people operations. The provider sources, employs, and manages remote professionals for a client, charging one flat monthly fee per role.
In more detail
Traditional staffing agencies exit after placement, leaving the client with HR, payroll, and compliance. Pure EORs employ someone you already found but do not recruit. Managed staffing bundles sourcing, legal employment, payroll, benefits, IT, and account management into a single contract. The client decides the role and directs the work; the provider handles everything else.
The model is particularly common for US and Canadian SMBs hiring offshore roles in India, the Philippines, or Latin America. It removes cross-border HR complexity so small teams can hire internationally without building an international HR function.
What managed staffing includes
- Sourcing, vetting, and technical assessment.
- Local-law employment contract, payroll, and statutory benefits.
- Equipment, VPN, endpoint security, and NDAs.
- Dedicated account manager and replacement guarantee.
Related terms
Common follow-up questions
A staffing agency places a candidate and exits. Managed staffing keeps the provider involved for the life of the engagement, handling HR, payroll, benefits, IT, and replacements.
No. An EOR employs a worker you already found. Managed staffing also sources, vets, and manages the worker. Managed staffing is EOR plus recruiting plus ongoing people management.
Managed staffing for India-based professionals typically costs $1,200 to $3,500 per month depending on role seniority, all-inclusive of salary, benefits, HR, and account management.