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 […]
Late shift cancellation used to be frustrating. Now, thanks to changes to statutory late notice cancellation compensation, it’s potentially expensive. Under changes linked to the Employment Rights Act (ERA), agencies may be required to compensate workers where temporary assignments or shifts are cancelled or curtailed at short notice. The problem? In most cases, it isn’t […]
Not because the rules suddenly changed overnight. But because multiple reforms are landing at once, and together, they are exposing weaknesses in recruitment contracts, supply chains and commercial assumptions that have been quietly tolerated for years. If you look at each reform in isolation, it may feel manageable. Taken together, 2026 represents the most significant […]
HMRC has warned of new fraudulent models emerging in the market, claiming to reduce employment costs through ‘tax credits’ offset through acquired third-party businesses. Disguised as payroll providers, intermediaries, umbrella solutions, or back-office providers, they assert to use tax credits to offset employment taxes such as PAYE and National Insurance by operating the payroll thereby, […]
The industry’s been rightly focused on the joint and several liability risks under Chapter 11 of the Finance Bill, but there’s another serious consequence baked into this legislation, and it’s flying under the radar. We’re talking about TUPE transfers. At first glance, it may not look like much. But for agencies who’ve historically used umbrella […]
The Employment Rights Bill will soon pass into law, soon followed by regulation of the umbrella sector, impacting the current umbrella model as we know it.
The government has now published its plans for applying proposed zero hours rules to agency workers.
The government has now published its plans for applying proposed zero hours rules to agency workers.
