Grafton Review (2026): Czech Staffing & EOR Expert

Grafton is not a global EOR platform. It is one of the Czech Republic’s most deeply established staffing agencies, now operating under the Gi Group Holding umbrella after the Italian parent group’s 2022 rebrand. For companies hiring in the Czech Republic, particularly those who need genuine on-the-ground support, international worker relocation, or high-volume staffing, Grafton is among the most credible names in the local market.

The company operates 13 offices across the Czech Republic, covering not just Prague and Brno but regional cities including Ostrava, Olomouc, Plzeň, Liberec, Hradec Králové, České Budějovice, Ústí nad Labem, Jihlava, Zlín, Chomutov, and Vysoké Mýto. That physical footprint alone puts Grafton in a different category from global EOR providers that service Czech Republic remotely from Dublin or Amsterdam.

Grafton holds a valid agenturní zaměstnávání licence (agency employment permit) issued by the Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MPSV), the mandatory certification required for any company acting as the legal employer of workers assigned to third-party clients under Czech law. It is also ISO 9001:2015 certified, a member of both REC (Recruitment & Employment Confederation) and NRF standards bodies, and part of Gi Group Holding, which employs over 6,000 people globally and generates revenues of approximately €3.3 billion.

Here’s the critical context for anyone evaluating Grafton as an EOR: Grafton’s employment model is built around agenturní zaměstnávání, the Czech temporary staffing model under which Grafton becomes the legal employer of workers it places with client companies. This is a legally recognised and well-established employment framework under the Zákoník práce (Act No. 262/2006), but it differs from the indefinite direct-employment EOR model that many global platforms offer. For clients who need to source talent as well as employ it compliantly, Grafton is a natural fit. For clients who already have a specific candidate and just need a legal employer of record, Grafton’s model is structured differently from purpose-built EOR platforms, and the process is less self-service.

Grafton serves hundreds of corporate clients across the Czech Republic, including large multinationals such as AT&T, Avon, Iveco, and Stats Perform. Its consultants are organised by specialisation (IT, finance, engineering, logistics, shared services, and more), and its HR services portfolio spans well beyond basic recruitment into payroll outsourcing, HR consulting, outplacement, salary benchmarking, and FDI advisory.

• Temporary Staffing (Agenturní Zaměstnávání) Grafton’s core EOR-adjacent offering. Under this model, Grafton becomes the legal employer of workers assigned to client companies, handling all employment contracts, ČSSZ social security registration, VZP/health insurance contributions, income tax withholding, payroll processing, and statutory compliance. Czech law requires that workers placed under this model receive srovnatelné pracovní podmínky (comparable working conditions) to direct employees, a regulatory requirement Grafton manages on behalf of clients. This is the primary mechanism through which foreign companies use Grafton to employ Czech workers without their own entity.
• Payroll Outsourcing Grafton offers standalone payroll outsourcing for companies that have their own Czech entity but want to outsource the administration. This covers full payroll calculation and processing, ČSSZ/health insurance contribution management, PIT withholding and reporting, payslip issuance, and regulatory filings. Grafton explicitly positions this as a service that “saves clients time and reduces administrative burden.”
• International Mobility & Employee Care Programme A standout offering that distinguishes Grafton from most competitors. Their dedicated International Mobility team manages end-to-end economic migration, covering visa and work permit applications (including Zaměstnanecká karta employee cards and Modrá karta blue cards for third-country nationals), participation in Czech Economic Migration Programmes, transport and accommodation arrangement for relocating workers, and a structured Employee Care Programme designed to support integration and adaptation of foreign workers into Czech workplaces. This is particularly valuable for clients hiring from outside the EU.
• Permanent Recruitment Over 40 years of permanent placement across all sectors and seniority levels, from operational roles to senior management. Grafton’s sector-specialised consultants (IT, finance, engineering, logistics, SSC/BPO, manufacturing) provide deep candidate pipelines across all major Czech regions. The company places thousands of permanent candidates annually.
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Full or partial RPO solutions for companies with high-volume or complex hiring needs. Grafton takes ownership of the recruitment process from sourcing to offer management, integrating with client HR teams and reporting structures.
• HR Consulting & Advisory Services A broad consulting portfolio covering compensation benchmarking and salary surveys (published twice yearly for Czech HR professionals), employer branding, HR Interim (temporary senior HR placements), outplacement programmes, psychometric assessment (Thomas profiling), FDI and site selection consultancy, and labour law advisory.