Last updated October 25, 2026 · Compiled from Amundson Group placement records and public market data.
Hiring for heavy civil, site development, paving, data center, rail, or wastewater work? Amundson Group is a construction-only recruiter. First qualified resumes in 7 hours. Send us the role or call (832) 558-7982.
The short answer
A construction staffing agency supplies hourly craft workers who stay on the agency’s payroll and are billed to you by the hour. A construction recruiter finds a salaried or field leadership employee who joins your company for good, for a one-time fee. Most contractors need both at different moments, and most of the frustration we hear comes from asking one to do the other’s job. Amundson Group is the second kind: a construction-only recruiter that fills superintendents, project managers, estimators, project engineers, schedulers, foremen, safety managers, survey chiefs and construction executives for direct hire, with a first qualified resume in 7 hours on average. We do not run temporary crews.
What a construction staffing agency does
Staffing agencies carry a bench of carpenters, laborers, operators, pipe crews and skilled trades, employ them, and send them to your site at an hourly bill rate that covers wages, payroll taxes, workers’ compensation and the agency’s margin. The work is fast and flexible: you call on Tuesday, people arrive on Thursday, and when the pour is done they go to the next customer. That model fits short peaks, labor-only scopes and workforce gaps you cannot carry on your own payroll. It does not fit a superintendent. The person who runs your job needs to be your employee, on your schedule and your bonus plan, and no bench supplies that.
What a construction recruiter does
A recruiter finds the people who are not looking. The project manager you want is employed, busy and not reading job boards. A construction recruiter knows who they are, calls them, confirms project history, compensation and reasons they would move, and brings you a shortlist of people worth an interview. You hire the person directly. The fee is a one-time percentage of first-year base salary, usually with a replacement guarantee, and there is no ongoing markup. The value is speed and reach: a recruiter with a real network shortens a search from months to days and reaches candidates your own postings never will.
Which one your project needs
- You need bodies this week for a labor-only scope. Staffing agency.
- You need a superintendent, project manager, estimator, project engineer, scheduler, foreman, safety manager or survey chief who will stay. Recruiter.
- You have a long-running program and want to build a permanent team. Recruiter, then your own payroll.
- You want to try someone before you hire them. Some staffing agencies offer contract-to-hire on salaried roles. Read the conversion fee before you agree; it is often close to a recruiter’s fee anyway.
What each one costs
A staffing agency charges an hourly bill rate that is the worker’s wage plus a markup; the markup pays for payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, benefits and the agency’s margin, and it continues for as long as the person is on your site. A recruiter charges once, as a percentage of the hire’s first-year base salary, and the fee is the same whether the search took two days or two months. For a leadership role that will be with you for years, the recruiter’s fee is the smaller number. For a six-week labor peak, the staffing agency’s is.
How Amundson Group fills construction leadership roles
We work only in construction and only in these sectors: heavy civil, site development, paving, data centers, rail, tunnels, wastewater and underground utilities. Every search starts with an intake call that defines the project, the reporting line, the compensation band and the non-negotiables. We then go straight to our network of 90,000+ construction professionals, most of whom are not applying to job boards, confirm project history and reasons for moving, and send you a first qualified resume in 7 hours on average and a vetted shortlist in 7 days. We have made 1,200+ construction placements for 250+ construction companies, we are veteran owned, and we were named to the Inc. 5000 in 2024 and 2025. If your scope is a highway interchange, a site package, a paving program, a data center shell, a rail corridor, a tunnel or a treatment plant, that is what our desks recruit for every day. Start a search at amundsongroup.com/hire-talent. If you are not sure yet whether you need a recruiter, the signs you need outside help with construction hiring are worth five minutes.
What to ask any construction staffing agency or recruiter
- Which sectors do you actually work in, and can you name the roles you filled last month?
- How fast will I see the first qualified candidate, and what does qualified mean to you?
- Who is doing the searching, and how large is the network they are calling?
- What is the fee, what does it include, and what is the replacement guarantee?
- Will you tell me when you cannot fill a role, and how soon?
We answer those for ourselves on this site, and we will answer them on the phone before you sign anything.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a construction staffing agency and a construction recruiter?
A construction staffing agency supplies hourly craft workers who stay on the agency’s payroll and are billed to you by the hour, which fits short labor peaks. A construction recruiter finds salaried and field leadership employees who join your company for direct hire, for a one-time fee based on first-year salary, which fits superintendents, project managers, estimators and similar roles.
How much does a construction recruiter cost?
A one-time fee calculated as a percentage of the hire’s first-year base salary, usually with a replacement guarantee if the person leaves early. There is no hourly markup and the fee is the same however long the search takes. A staffing agency instead charges an hourly bill rate with a markup for as long as the worker is on your site.
Does Amundson Group provide temporary construction labor?
No. Amundson Group is a construction-only recruiter for direct hire. We fill superintendents, project managers, estimators, project engineers, schedulers, foremen, safety managers, survey chiefs and construction executives for heavy civil, site development, paving, data center, rail, tunnel, wastewater and underground utility contractors across the United States. We do not run temporary crews.
How fast can a construction recruiter fill a role?
At Amundson Group the average is 7 hours from job intake to first qualified resume and a vetted shortlist in 7 days, because we recruit directly from a network of 90,000+ construction professionals rather than waiting for applicants.
When should a contractor use a staffing agency instead of a recruiter?
When the need is hourly craft labor for a defined scope or peak, when the people will not stay past the scope, or when you cannot carry them on your own payroll. For any role that runs the job or the company, a recruiter and a direct hire is the right tool.
Start a search with Amundson Group. Average 7 hours from job intake to first qualified resume.
Need this hire made? Send us the role. Amundson Group is a construction-only recruiter based in Houston, placing across the United States: heavy civil, site development, paving, data centers, rail, tunnels, wastewater, and underground utilities. 1,200+ construction placements to date, a 90,000+ professional network, first qualified resumes in 7 hours. Inc. 5000 in 2024 and 2025.
Prefer to talk? Call (832) 558-7982 or use the full form at amundsongroup.com/hire-talent.
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