* Staffing firm securitises 125 million eur of receivables
* Standby facility is "insurance" buffer
* Can be activated at any time
(Adds detail, company comment, background)
AMSTERDAM, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Dutch staffing company Randstad NV has set up a 125 million euro safety net for its balance sheet using money it is owed by customers.
The buffer is in the form of a standby facility for the securitisation of receivable accounts, the company said on Tuesday.
The facility, launched with Fortis Commercial Finance, can be activated at any time and will run for at least 18 months, Randstad said in a statement.
"Randstad considers the facility as an insurance policy to be able to strengthen the balance sheet if needed," said the world's second-largest recruitment company by sales.
Randstad reported last week net debt at the end of June of 1.52 billion euros and said it expects to reduce this by 200 million euros in the third quarter.
Randstad and other recruitment companies have been hit by weak demand for professional staffing services in a sluggish global economy. Its sales fell by a third in the second quarter from a year earlier to 3 billion euros.
(Reporting by Reed Stevenson; editing by John Stonestreet)