Selling by industry

Selling a staffing or recruiting agency? How the desk works is licensable

A staffing acquirer pays for client accounts and recruiters. AI data buyers want the desk's way of working: intake calls, job briefs, screening steps, submittals and the follow-up that closes placements.

Candidates are people, so their data is the line.

AI Data Offers research deskChecked against our methodology Updated October 28, 2026 2 min read 8 sources

In this guide

Pewter

How the desk works

Job intake and briefs
Screening questions and submittal notes
Client and candidate follow-up templates
Recruiter training and SOPs

Do temps on assignment count?

Ask each buyer. Most count employees, and contractors on assignment may or may not be included. Internal staff of 20 to 30 or more is the safer test.

Candidates are people

Résumés, assessments and contact details are personal data. Buyers say personal details are removed or excluded. Check your candidate privacy notices before anything is shared.

Pricing, plus one caution

No staffing-specific price is published. General ranges mostly run from $100K to $2M. Watch exclusivity: an acquirer in staffing may want the desk's know-how for itself.

Questions to put to any data buyer

Is this a license of a copy, or a sale of the records outright?
Is it exclusive, and for how long? Can I license the same data elsewhere later?
Which systems and date ranges are in scope, and can I leave folders or whole tools out?
Who removes names and personal details, how, and do I approve a sample before anything leaves?
When does payment arrive, and does the clock start at signing or at your acceptance of the delivery?
Do I pay anything, and does anyone in the chain take a cut?
How long do you keep the copy, and what happens to it if you are acquired?

FAQ

Questions, answered

Will candidate data be licensed?

Buyers say no. Personal details are removed or excluded.

Is my company big enough?

The usual floor is somewhere from 20 to 30 staff. Some buyers publish none at all. Mode accepts law firms with 6 people and accounting firms with 10, and Pewter goes by your highest-ever headcount. Our match quiz sorts it out in two minutes.

What could a license pay?

For a business that is still trading, most buyers publish bands of roughly $100K to $2M. Treat those as marketing claims. They are no price for you. Only a written offer from a buyer whose criteria you meet tells you what your data is worth.

Do I pay anything to license?

Typically no. Direct buyers rarely charge sellers. Middlemen are different: brokers and marketplaces may keep anywhere from 8% to 30%. Have any fee written down before a sample changes hands.

Find the buyers that fit your company

Answer a few questions about your size, tools and history. We show which buyers want a company like yours. Free, no files.

Match my company What is my data worth?

Keep reading

Sources

Every number on this page links back to one of these.

Spot something wrong? See our corrections policy. Some buyers pay us a referral fee. How we make money.