The Association of Personnel Service Organisations (APSO) was established in 1977 and continues to represent its members in their dealings with Government and related bodies. APSO promotes and ensures, for the benefit of both clients and candidates, the adherence to high ethical and professional standards of business.

The recruitment industry currently has no, or very low, barriers to entry, which means that clients, candidates and temp assignees can find themselves dealing with inexperienced or unprofessional operators. All APSO members are required to meet certain minimum criteria before membership is granted.

These include among others, legal compliance, professional standards of operation, fair labour practice and adherence to the APSO Code of Ethical & Professional Practice. This code prescribes the minimum levels of service required by APSO, to be given to clients, candidates and other stakeholders. It sets clear guidelines on issues such as search and selection, recruitment practices, reference checking, interviewing, Temporary Employment Services (TES) and fee resolution, in the case of a dispute between two agencies.

In addition, APSO is focused on improving the professionalism of the recruitment industry, by providing training and continuous professional development for our members and their employees. APSO works closely with the Services SETA and other stakeholders to ensure that APSO members remain at the “top” when it comes to delivering recruitment services to their clients and candidates.

These days, many client companies choose only to deal with an APSO member and list this as a requirement for tendering for recruitment contracts.