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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 […]
Yesterday Lawspeed held a face to face seminar to discuss the current consultation on modernising the agency work regulatory framework. Joined by two policy representatives from the Department of Business and Trade the meeting rapidly developed into a broader discussion. “We had anticipated strong comments, but the depth of feeling in the room was staggering” […]
Transfer fee restrictions – should they stay or should they go? No consideration of this subject can be complete without recognising the government’s plan to introduce guaranteed hours for supply workers, included in the Employment Rights Act 2025. Put simply if you supply a contractor to a client and there is a law in place […]
With 6th April just around the corner it’s worth looking at what labour supply businesses should have in place to reduce the risk of HMRC claims under the new tax rules for umbrella company payments. To be clear, under the new joint and several liability rules, liability arises where a business contracts with an umbrella […]
Recruitment regulation may be about to change in ways that could directly affect how agencies charge fees, contract with clients, and work with contractors. The government is currently reviewing the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations – the core rules that govern how recruitment businesses operate in the UK. For many agencies, these […]
