Industry Overview
- M&A activity in the North American staffing industry slowed in 2023 with a year-over-year decrease of 11% from the elevated levels seen in 2021 and 2022.
- However, buyer interest in the staffing sector proved remarkably resilient amid rising interest rates, recession risks and poor public market performance with annual transaction activity still well above historical levels.
- Given the inherent value of acquiring complementary skill sets and verticals, strategic buyers consistently dominate the sector. But more than ever before, private equity appeared to sit on the sidelines this year making only five platform acquisitions in 2023.
- While 2023 showed a significantly lower volume of private equity exits, 2024 transaction volume could prove to be promising as private equity firms look to return capital to stakeholders.
- The IT Staffing/Consulting sector again claimed the top spot for most acquisition activity in 2023 comprising 22% of total transaction volume, but the HR Tech sector continues to gain momentum as its growth outpaces the traditional staffing models.
Learn more in our latest North American Staffing and Human Capital Industry Insights — Winter 2024.
