Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) and the best and worst performers in the professional staffing & hr solutions industry.

The Professional Staffing & HR Solutions subsector within Business Services is set to benefit from evolving workforce trends, including the rise of remote work and the gig economy. With companies casting a wider net to find talent due to remote work, the expertise of staffing and recruiting companies is even more valuable. For those who invest wisely, the use of predictive AI in recruitment and screening as well as automation in HR workflows can enhance efficiency and scalability. On the other hand, digitization means that talent discovery is less of a manual process, opening the door for tech-first platforms. Additionally, regulatory scrutiny around data privacy in HR is evolving and may require companies in this sector to change their go-to-market strategies over time.

The 7 professional staffing & hr solutions stocks we track reported a strong Q2. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.3% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 2% below.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 6.4% on average since the latest earnings results.

Best Q2: ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN)

Founded during the post-World War II economic boom when businesses needed temporary workers, ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) connects millions of people to employment opportunities through its global network of staffing, recruitment, and workforce management services.

ManpowerGroup reported revenues of $4.86 billion, up 7.5% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. Overall, it was a stunning quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS guidance for next quarter estimates.

Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chair & CEO, said, "In the second quarter we delivered strong results with revenues ahead of expectations. Results reflect good execution across our brands and markets, continued cost discipline and improving demand. We are leveraging our scale and diversified platform and focusing commercial efforts on verticals that offer the greatest opportunities to win and capture share. We saw very strong growth in our Manpower brand and improving trends across Experis and Talent Solutions.

Interestingly, the stock is up 59.2% since reporting and currently trades at $62.13.

Is now the time to buy ManpowerGroup? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

First Advantage (NASDAQ: FA)

Processing over 200 million screens annually across more than 200 countries and territories, First Advantage (NASDAQ: FA) provides employment background screening, identity verification, and compliance solutions to help companies manage hiring risks.

First Advantage reported revenues of $448.8 million, up 14.9% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 8.2%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.

First Advantage pulled off the biggest analyst estimate beat, fastest revenue growth, and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The market seems content with the results as the stock is up 1.8% since reporting. It currently trades at $20.92.

Is now the time to buy First Advantage? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q2: Barrett (NASDAQ: BBSI)

Operating as a professional employer organization (PEO) that serves over 8,000 companies with more than 120,000 worksite employees, Barrett Business Services (NASDAQ: BBSI) provides management solutions that help small and mid-sized businesses handle human resources, payroll, workers' compensation, and other administrative functions.

Barrett reported revenues of $319.3 million, up 3.8% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Barrett delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates of the whole group. As expected, the stock is down 14.9% since the results and currently trades at $34.15.

Read our full analysis of Barrett’s results here.

Robert Half (NYSE: RHI)

With roots dating back to 1948 as the first specialized recruiting firm for accounting and finance professionals, Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) provides specialized talent solutions and business consulting services, connecting skilled professionals with companies across various fields.

Robert Half reported revenues of $1.34 billion, down 2.4% year on year. This result beat analysts’ expectations by 1%. Overall, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also produced EPS in line with analysts’ estimates.

The stock is up 18.7% since reporting and currently trades at $44.94.

Read our full, actionable report on Robert Half here, it’s free.

Insperity (NYSE: NSP)

Pioneering the professional employer organization (PEO) industry it helped establish, Insperity (NYSE: NSP) provides human resources outsourcing services to small and medium-sized businesses, handling payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR administration.

Insperity reported revenues of $1.69 billion, up 1.7% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 0.7%. It was a satisfactory quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.

The stock is down 2.6% since reporting and currently trades at $51.81.

Read our full, actionable report on Insperity here, it’s free.

Market Update

Over the past year, investors have been forced to repeatedly answer the same question: what is the market’s biggest risk? The answer has changed several times, and each shift has reshaped market leadership.

Late in 2025 and early 2026, artificial intelligence became the market’s primary uncertainty. Investors questioned whether AI would erode software pricing power and weaken competitive moats as AI made it easier to replicate once-differentiated products.

By the spring, technology took a back seat to geopolitics. The U.S. conflict with Iran briefly became the market’s dominant narrative, raising concerns about oil prices, inflation, and global growth. But as energy markets remained orderly and fears of a prolonged supply disruption faded, investors quickly turned their focus back to fundamentals.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 6 Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.