Michael Page and Page Personnel are both recruitment agencies operating in multiple countries around the world. They are actually part of the same company, PageGroup, but serve different markets and operate under different brands.
Michael Page focuses on permanent recruitment across various sectors like banking, finance, sales, marketing, technology, human resources and others. Page Personnel specializes in temporary and contract recruitment in areas like accounting & finance, office support, HR and other professional roles.
While there is some overlap in the areas they operate in, there are some key differences between Michael Page and Page Personnel in terms of their focus, services offered and typical clients.
History and Overview
Michael Page was founded in London in 1976 by Bill McGregor as an accounting and finance recruitment agency. It steadily expanded across the UK and entered international markets in the 1980s and 1990s. Some key events and acquisitions for Michael Page:
– 1983: Opened first international office in Paris, France
– 1995: Expanded into Asia with Hong Kong office
– 1997: Entered Australia and New Zealand markets
– 2005: Acquired Hanly Scott, an IT recruitment firm
– 2006: Acquired Competitive remuneration, a technology focused recruitment agency
– 2012: Acquired Renault Simmons, expanding presence in Japan
Page Personnel was founded in France in 1994 by Jacques Pépin as a temp and contract recruitment agency focused on accounting, finance and office support roles. Some key events for Page Personnel:
– 1994: Founded in Paris, France by Jacques Pépin
– 1996: Entered UK market
– 1997: First office in Germany opened
– 1999: Micheal Page acquires 51% stake in Page Personnel
– 2000: Page Personnel expands into Spain
– 2006: Micheal Page acquires remaining 49% of Page Personnel
So while Michael Page started earlier in the UK, Page Personnel originated in France. Both companies expanded across Europe in the 1990s and 2000s. Michael Page later acquired Page Personnel completely in 2006, but maintained it as a separate brand focused on temp recruitment.
Today, PageGroup operates across 36 countries worldwide with over 7,000 employees. Michael Page and Page Personnel are its two core brands, but it also operates other brands like Page Executive, Page Outsourcing and Page Interim in different regions.
Services Offered
As recruitment agencies, both Michael Page and Page Personnel are involved in the sourcing, screening and hiring of candidates on behalf of client organizations. But the types of roles and recruitment services they focus on differ:
**Michael Page**
– Permanent/direct hire recruitment
– Executive search and leadership hiring
– Full range of sectors: Banking & Finance, Sales, Marketing, Technology, HR, Legal, Engineering etc.
– Offer additional services like market mapping, salary benchmarking etc.
**Page Personnel**
– Temporary, contract and interim recruitment
– Mainly focused on accounting, finance, office support and HR roles
– Offer temp to perm, short and long term contract recruitment
– Additional services like pre-screening, compliance checks, payroll etc.
So while both engage in recruitment and talent acquisition, Michael Page specializes in permanent hires across sectors while Page Personnel focuses on temp and contract roles in mainly financial, clerical and HR fields.
Typical Client Profiles
Given their different areas of focus, Michael Page and Page Personnel tend to serve different types of clients:
**Michael Page**
– Large corporations
– Public sector organizations
– Fast growing startups
– Mid to large sized companies
– Organizations hiring for strategic or specialized roles
**Page Personnel**
– SMEs and mid-market companies
– Startups and early stage companies
– Companies needing to fill temporary vacancies
– Organizations looking to manage costs and headcount
– Companies hiring for high volume administrative or finance positions
Michael Page clients tend to be larger established organizations planning direct hire recruiting across business functions. Page Personnel serves a broader mix of companies needing to fill temp or interim vacancies across support functions.
Recruitment Process
While recruitment best practices are followed by both brands, there are some differences in their client engagement models and recruitment process:
**Michael Page**
– Consultative approach focused on understanding the client’s needs
– Extensive screening and shortlisting of candidates
– Typically 3-6 candidates submitted per role
– Rigorous interviewing and assessment before shortlist
– Handle negotiation and offer process for clients
**Page Personnel**
– Emphasis on high volume and quick turnaround
– Automated screening and matching through large candidate database
– Larger number of candidates submitted per role
– Streamlined interviewing and selection based on client feedback
– Provide temp staffing and payroll services after placement
Michael Page takes a more involved approach to candidate sourcing and screening with fewer submitted candidates. Page Personnel leverages technology to submit a larger volume of candidates for client screening and interviews.
Locations and Geographic Coverage
PageGroup has an extensive global presence with over 200 offices in 36 countries. Both Michael Page and Page Personnel operate in multiple regions:
**Michael Page Locations**
– UK
– Mainland Europe
– Asia Pacific – Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore
– Americas – Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, USA
– Middle East – Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
**Page Personnel Locations**
– UK
– France
– Other European countries – Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland
– Asia – China, Singapore
– Middle East – Dubai
So Michael Page has broader exposure across APAC, Americas and Middle East while Page Personnel focuses on UK, France and other major European economies. Both brands have limited presence in the Middle East.
Cost Structure and Fees
There are some differences in the fee and payment structures between Michael Page and Page Personnel:
**Michael Page**
– Permanent hires – Percentage of candidate’s total first year compensation
– Typically 20-30% but varies by industry and seniority
– Executive search at higher percentages up to 40%
– Invoice clients in stages – on final shortlist, at offer and at start date
**Page Personnel**
– Contract hires – Markup percentage on the pay rate
– Temp markup is typically 20-30% of salary
– Contract markup around 15-20% of salary
– Invoice clients weekly for temp staffing services
Given its permanent placement focus, Michael Page works on upfront retainer fees and back-end percentages per hire. Page Personnel follows a time and material model invoicing for temporary staffing weekly.
Technology and Innovation
Both brands utilize technology for recruitment process automation and data driven hiring:
**Michael Page**
– Proprietary 360° assessment framework for candidate evaluation
– Extensive online candidate database
– AI driven job matching and search algorithms
– Big data analytics for insights into hiring trends
– Leveraging machine learning for process optimization
**Page Personnel**
– Automated pre-screening and shortlisting
– Online portal for temp timesheets and invoice management
– Analytics dashboard for clients with real-time metrics
– Intelligent search algorithms to match candidates and jobs
– Developing facial recognition for video interviews
Michael Page focuses on predictive analytics and AI to improve candidate assessment and hiring decisions. Page Personnel uses technology to automate high volume temp recruitment and streamline management.
Strengths and Reputation
Both brands are recognized leaders in their respective recruitment spheres:
**Key Strengths of Michael Page**
– Strong reputation in senior executive search and leadership hiring
– Established presence globally across major geographies and sectors
– Consultative and relationship oriented recruitment model
– Specializedvertical industry and functional sector expertise
– Stringent vetting and assessment minimizes bad hires
**Key Strengths of Page Personnel**
– Extensive temporary recruitment capability across support functions
– High volume recruitment model provides fast and flexible resourcing
– Well established in key European markets especially France and UK
– Leverages centralized teams and technology to optimize recruitment
– Competitive pricing and offerings for SMEs and mid market
Conclusion
In summary, while both owned by PageGroup, Michael Page and Page Personnel operate in different recruitment spheres:
– **Michael Page** focuses on permanent senior and strategic hiring across various sectors and global markets
– **Page Personnel** specializes in high volume temporary and contract recruitment for support roles mainly in Europe
Michael Page brings a specialized consultative approach to strategic talent acquisition for larger companies. Page Personnel provides flexible, cost-effective temp and interim staffing services for SMEs and mid market firms.
Both brands leverage centralized teams and technology to drive process efficiency and insights from data. This allows them to provide an optimal recruitment experience for both clients and candidates across permanent, temporary and contract hiring.