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Over nearly three decades specialising exclusively in recruitment law and contracts, I have seen almost every way an agency can lose a fee. What I have not seen – until recently – is the speed with which some businesses are now willing to put their entire commercial protection into the hands of an algorithm. I […]
On top of all the consultations issued this year, the government has now published a consultation on employment status reform. Since employment status is at the heart of recruitment supply the big question is, could it impact agencies. For most recruitment businesses the short answer is probably not: PAYE agency workers already have worker status […]
From 1 October 2026, agencies who have not checked that an agency worker has the right to work in the UK could be liable for significant penalties. The new law applies to most supply arrangements including agency workers, umbrella company staff, subcontractors, personal service companies (‘PSCs’) and platform-engaged workers. Read more… What recruitment businesses that […]
Key takeaways The consultation on Ending one-sided flexibility: reforms of zero hours and similar contracts closed on 25th August 2026. Whilst ARC supports measures to protect vulnerable workers at the lower end of the labour market, agency workers do not generally fall into this category. The proposals risk undermining the choice and flexibility that the […]
Since 7th April 2026 the EAS was imported into the Fair Work Agency (FWA), so we now refer to EAS inspections as FWA inspections. However the FWA’s role to inspect employment agencies and employment businesses and investigate breaches of compliance rules remains as it was prior to April. Scope of FWA inspection Although scope of […]
As currently proposed the government plans to extend obligations on hirers to offer direct guaranteed hours contracts to agency workers after 12 weeks. ARC argues that the industry must push back on this. Read more here.
ARC are pleased to announce that the next meeting for members and guests will take place on 25th August 2026 at 2.30pm. For a change, this will be a Microsoft Teams meeting rather than face-to-face. The subject of the meeting will be: “AI for recruitment: What’s real? What’s hype? And what’s worth your time?” Whether or […]
On 2nd June, the government launched its consultation on guaranteed hours, officially (and confusingly) titled “Ending one-sided flexibility: reforms of zero hours and similar contracts.” Despite the zero-hours-sounding name, this targets all businesses that engage temporary or agency workers – not just those on zero hours contracts – with implementation due in 2027 and the […]
The consultation on modernising the Agency Work Regulatory Framework has now closed. Lawspeed has assisted the Association of Recruitment Consultancies (‘ARC’) in formulating a comprehensive and detailed response, based upon our 3 decades of recruitment industry experience, feedback from ARC members and our recent seminar on this subject. Whilst ARC and Lawspeed welcome the principle […]
The Fair Work Agency is now live, and this is important for recruiters. The Fair Work Agency replaces Employment Agency Standards (EAS), the body responsible for the enforcement of the Conduct Regulations. It also replaces the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and the Office of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (DLME). What this […]
