How many recruitment agencies are there in the UK? 2026 statistics
There were 27,200 recruitment agencies in the UK in March 2026, 1,575 fewer than a year before: the official figures explained, with the data free to download.
How many recruitment agencies are there in the UK?
There were 27,200 recruitment agencies in the UK in March 2026, according to the ONS. Of those, 16,745 mainly place people in permanent jobs and 10,455 mainly supply temporary workers. An agency that does both is counted once, under the work it mainly does.
| Type of agency | Agencies |
|---|---|
| Permanent placement (SIC 78109) | 16,745 |
| Temporary staffing (SIC 78200) | 10,455 |
| All recruitment agencies | 27,200 |
The ONS counts businesses registered for VAT or PAYE, which misses only the smallest agencies: those under the £90,000 VAT threshold with no payroll. It also files casting agencies (445) and firms that act as the employer for another company's long-term staff (2,615) under "employment activities", which brings that total to 30,260.
Why do other sources give different numbers?
Published counts of UK recruitment agencies run from about 17,000 to more than 32,000, because they count different things.
| What it counts | Count |
|---|---|
| ONS: permanent-placement agencies, March 2026 | 16,745 |
| ONS: permanent and temporary agencies, March 2026 (the count this page uses) | 27,200 |
| ONS: all employment activities, adding casting agencies and HR outsourcing | 30,260 |
| REC: recruitment businesses, 2025 (the ONS count for March 2025 plus SIC 78300) | 31,345 |
| Companies House: active companies listing the placement-agency code, including dormant ones | 32,674 |
The ONS counts businesses, Companies House counts companies. At Companies House, 32,674 active companies list the code for employment placement agencies among their activities. That includes dormant companies and firms whose main business is something else, since a company can list up to four activity codes. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships aren't on the register at all.
The REC's figure matches an older, wider ONS count. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation, the industry's trade body, gives 31,345 recruitment businesses for 2025 in its annual industry report, which non-members have to buy (The Global Recruiter reported the figure). That matches the ONS count for March 2025 exactly once you add the 2,570 firms that act as the employer for another company's long-term staff (SIC 78300). On the same basis, March 2026 gives 29,815.
Some of the numbers in circulation are years old. The REC's "over 30,000", from its report for 2021–22 and still on its website, turns up on pages with 2026 in their title. Check the date of any figure before you quote it.
Is the number of recruitment agencies falling?
Yes. The ONS counted 27,200 agencies in March 2026, down from 28,775 in March 2025. That's a fall of 1,575, or 5.5%, the biggest one-year drop since the series began in 2010 and the lowest count since 2017. Permanent-placement agencies fell by 1,055 and temporary agencies by 520.
| Year | Permanent | Temporary | All agencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 4,915 | 13,210 | 18,125 |
| 2012 | 6,730 | 11,045 | 17,775 |
| 2014 | 8,785 | 10,535 | 19,320 |
| 2016 | 13,145 | 10,835 | 23,980 |
| 2018 | 16,650 | 11,570 | 28,220 |
| 2020 | 17,515 | 10,925 | 28,440 |
| 2022 | 16,505 | 10,880 | 27,385 |
| 2024 | 17,380 | 11,370 | 28,750 |
| 2025 | 17,800 | 10,975 | 28,775 |
| 2026 | 16,745 | 10,455 | 27,200 |
Over the longer run there are half as many agencies again as in 2010. Permanent-placement agencies have more than tripled, while temporary agencies have fallen by a fifth. Some of that shift may be agencies changing what they mainly do: one that moves from temporary to permanent work changes column without opening or closing.
How big are UK recruitment agencies?
Most are very small. Of the 27,200 agencies, 18,340 (67%) have fewer than five people working in them and 21,225 (78%) fewer than 10. Only 435 have 250 or more. Permanent-placement agencies are the smallest: 85% have fewer than 10 people, against 68% of temporary agencies, partly because temps paid through an agency count as its staff.
| People | Permanent | Temporary | All agencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 4 | 12,445 | 5,895 | 18,340 |
| 5 to 9 | 1,715 | 1,170 | 2,885 |
| 10 to 49 | 1,890 | 1,960 | 3,850 |
| 50 to 249 | 595 | 1,090 | 1,685 |
| 250 or more | 100 | 335 | 435 |
| All sizes | 16,745 | 10,455 | 27,200 |
Turnover tells the same story. 62% of permanent-placement agencies turn over less than £250,000 a year, and 83% less than £1 million. Temporary agencies turn over more, because what they bill includes the temps' pay: 36% turn over £1 million or more.
| Turnover | Permanent | Temporary |
|---|---|---|
| Under £100k | 4,505 | 1,950 |
| £100k to under £250k | 5,955 | 1,470 |
| £250k to under £1m | 3,505 | 3,290 |
| £1m to under £5m | 2,005 | 2,425 |
| £5m or more | 775 | 1,315 |
So the typical UK agency is a handful of people on the phone, writing up their own calls. Sorinai fills in your agency's own screening sheet while the candidate talks, and the filled Word file is ready a few minutes after the call: see how it works for recruiters. Tell candidates at the start that the call is being recorded.
How many recruitment agencies open and close each year?
Thousands of each. At Companies House, 5,394 new companies listing the placement-agency code were registered in 2025 and 5,173 were dissolved, so closures nearly matched new companies. Two years earlier, 6,664 were formed and 3,909 dissolved.
| Year | Formed | Dissolved | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5,305 | 6,075 | −770 |
| 2020 | 4,980 | 4,336 | +644 |
| 2021 | 4,660 | 3,548 | +1,112 |
| 2022 | 5,505 | 3,154 | +2,351 |
| 2023 | 6,664 | 3,909 | +2,755 |
| 2024 | 5,981 | 4,571 | +1,410 |
| 2025 | 5,394 | 5,173 | +221 |
These counts include companies that never trade, and they leave out agencies run as sole traders or ordinary partnerships. The ONS counts an agency when it registers for VAT or PAYE, which gives lower numbers: 3,755 new permanent and temporary agencies in 2024, and 3,570 closures (a provisional figure).
How many new recruitment agencies survive?
It depends a lot on when they started. Of the permanent-placement agencies started in 2019, which met the pandemic in their first year, only 34% were still trading five years later, against 38% of all new UK businesses. Those started in 2020 did better than the average business: 55.5% were still going after four years, against 44%.
| Started | Permanent agencies | Temporary agencies | All UK businesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 45.1% | 45.7% | 55.9% |
| 2020 | 62.6% | 47.6% | 53.0% |
| 2021 | 55.6% | 57.1% | 53.5% |
Across both kinds of agency, about half of those started in 2020 were still trading four years later. Nearly all make it through their first year: 94% of the permanent-placement agencies started in 2023 did.
Where are the UK's recruitment agencies?
London has 7,445, or 27% of the UK's agencies. With the South East and the East of England it accounts for 56%. Westminster alone has 775, more than any other council area in the UK.
| Region or nation | Agencies |
|---|---|
| London | 7,445 |
| South East | 4,555 |
| East of England | 3,210 |
| North West | 2,670 |
| West Midlands | 2,230 |
| South West | 1,770 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 1,705 |
| East Midlands | 1,355 |
| Scotland | 945 |
| Wales | 550 |
| North East | 495 |
| Northern Ireland | 275 |
Outside London, Birmingham has the most of any city. The figures are for council areas, so Manchester means the city itself, not Greater Manchester.
| City (council area) | Agencies |
|---|---|
| Birmingham | 620 |
| Leeds | 510 |
| Manchester | 400 |
| Bristol | 300 |
| Edinburgh | 175 |
| Glasgow | 160 |
| Sheffield | 135 |
| Liverpool | 130 |
| Cardiff | 125 |
| Belfast | 115 |
Sources and data download
Download the data as a spreadsheet (CSV). It has every ONS and Companies House figure on this page, the yearly figures behind the tables and every council area in the UK, each with the link it came from. You're welcome to use them; if you do, please link to this page.
Agency counts. ONS UK Business Counts, enterprises in March 2026. A recruitment agency here is SIC code 78109 (employment placement agencies, not counting casting agencies) or 78200 (temporary employment agencies). The ONS rounds every figure to the nearest 5.
Survival. ONS Business demography, UK, 2024 edition, published in November 2025, which also gives the ONS figures for new agencies and closures. It uses broader groups, so its placement-agency figures include casting agencies, about 3% of the group.
Companies. Companies House advanced company search, counted on 10 November 2026. A company can list up to four activity codes, so these counts include companies whose main business is something else.
People. ONS Business Register and Employment Survey, 2024, which covers Great Britain only.
The REC's figures. The REC Recruitment Industry Status Report 2024/25 and The Global Recruiter's report of it.
Recruitment agency statistics FAQ
How many recruitment agencies are there in London?
7,445 in March 2026, according to the ONS: 4,685 permanent-placement agencies and 2,760 temporary agencies. That's 27% of the UK's agencies, and 79% of them have fewer than 10 people working in them.
How many recruiters are there in the UK?
There's no official count of recruiters. The closest is the ONS figure for people working at permanent-placement agencies in Great Britain: 209,000 in 2024, which includes office staff and owners as well as recruiters. Recruiters who work in-house for an employer aren't in it. The REC put the number of people employed in the recruitment industry at 236,470 in 2024.
What is the SIC code for a recruitment agency?
78109, "Other activities of employment placement agencies", for an agency that places people in permanent jobs, and 78200, "Temporary employment agency activities", for one that supplies temporary workers. An agency that does both can list both, since Companies House allows up to four codes. 78300 is for firms that act as the employer for another business's long-term staff, handling their payroll and HR, and 78101 is for casting agencies. The ONS published a new classification, UK SIC 2026, in April 2026, but it isn't in operational use yet.
How much is the UK recruitment industry worth?
The REC estimates the industry added £40.6 billion to the UK economy in 2024, 1.6% of the UK's gross value added, down from £44.4 billion in 2023. Around 872,000 temporary and contract workers were on assignment on any given day in 2024.
How many recruitment agencies fail?
Of the permanent and temporary agencies started in 2020, half had closed within four years, according to the ONS. Those started in 2019 did worse: 37% were still trading after four years, and 32% after five. The survival figures by year are above.
