A service segment of the Process Outsourcing Industry, RPO is the partial or full outsourcing of the internal recruitment function to a third-party specialist provider, which serves to provide the necessary skills, activities, tools, technologies, related recruitment supply chain partners and process methodologies to assume the role of the client’s recruiting department by owning and managing its recruitment process and related recruitment supply chain partner relationships. RPO is more commonly used as a method for employers to recruit direct-hire personnel, particularly in the US. In Europe, contingent workers will also be included within that scope in some instances.