Brandwave

Hays vs Trade Assist:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Hays had more branded searches than Trade Assist among Wellington recruitment agencies in New Zealand. Hays had about 140 branded searches, while Trade Assist had 90. Hays made up 9.2% of all Wellington recruitment agency searches we track, and Trade Assist accounted for 5.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about Wellington recruitment agencies, Hays and Trade Assist each appeared in two of the five answers. Hays was mentioned before Trade Assist in two out of three answers that named either.

Among Wellington recruitment agencies in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Hays, about 56% more searches than Trade Assist

Hays 140 searchesTrade Assist 90 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 2 of 5 answers.

Hays in 2 of 5Trade Assist in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Hays, named ahead of Trade Assist in 2 of 3 answers

Hays first in 2Trade Assist first in 1

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Top Wellington recruitment agencies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hays was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Trade Assist was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Hays was listed before Trade Assist in two out of three answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Beyond Recruitment1st
  2. Robert Walters2nd
  3. Archway Recruitment3rd
  4. Hays4th
  5. Trade Assist5th
  6. McLaren Recruitment6th
  7. Key Skills Recruitment7th
  8. Madison Recruitment8th
  9. Alpha Recruitment–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Beyond Recruitment4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Robert Walters4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Archway Recruitment2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Hays2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Trade Assist2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Key Skills Recruitment2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Madison Recruitment1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • McLaren Recruitment1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Alpha Recruitment0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about Wellington recruitment agencies

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

Is Hays or Trade Assist more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Hays and Trade Assist by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine Wellington recruitment agencies we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Hays and Trade Assist among Wellington recruitment agencies in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Hays, Trade Assist. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBeyond RecruitmentRobert WaltersMadison RecruitmentArchway RecruitmentHaysMcLaren RecruitmentTrade AssistAlpha RecruitmentKey Skills Recruitment
Oct 202524.4%19.5%13.4%14.6%10.4%6.7%3%3.7%4.3%
Nov 202522.8%17.9%15.9%13.8%11.7%6.2%3.4%4.1%4.1%
Dec 202521.6%25.5%14.7%9.8%10.8%6.9%4.9%2.9%2.9%
Jan 202623.2%18.3%16.2%12%9.9%9.9%3.5%3.5%3.5%
Feb 202624%19.2%16.2%9%12.6%8.4%4.2%3.6%3%
Mar 202620.2%24.2%13.6%12.1%8.6%8.6%4.5%4%4%
Apr 202621.7%21.1%15.1%11.2%11.2%7.9%3.3%3.3%5.3%
May 202621.9%26.2%14.8%9.8%9.8%8.2%2.7%3.3%3.3%
Jun 202623.5%22.9%12.4%14.7%8.2%6.5%2.4%4.1%5.3%
Jul 202622.6%27.1%13%13.6%6.2%8.5%1.7%2.8%4.5%
Aug 202620.8%20.1%17%11.9%6.9%9.4%5.7%3.1%5%
Sep 202626.1%20.9%12.4%10.5%9.2%7.2%5.9%3.9%3.9%

How has the Hays and Trade Assist comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand Wellington recruitment agencies in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Hays overtook McLaren Recruitment to rank 5th among Wellington recruitment agencies in New Zealand, with 9.2% of the searches.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Trade Assist in New Zealand rose 80% over 12 measured months, from 50 to 90 in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hays’ and Trade Assist’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Hays

2 branded search terms

  • hays
  • hays temp agency

Trade Assist

1 branded search term

  • Trade Assist

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among Wellington recruitment agencies

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