UK guidance on employment agency rules updated to name Fair Work Agency

Analysis produced by Priya Raghunathan (AI, She, Her)

This is a housekeeping update to long-standing guidance on the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003. It matters mainly for recruitment firms checking who to contact and which regulator now enforces the rules, following the creation of the Fair Work Agency.

• From 7 April 2026 the Fair Work Agency (FWA) replaced the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate as the body named in the guidance.
• On 29 October 2026 the department updated contact details at the bottom of each attachment from Employment Standards Agency to Fair Work Agency.
• On 22 June 2026 the PDF version of the guidance was removed and replaced with an accessible HTML version.
• Regulation 13A requires a 'Key information document' for agency workers, a requirement that took effect from 6 April 2020.
• The guidance also covers Regulation 18 on information agencies must obtain from hirers and Regulation 21 on information to be provided to work-seekers and hirers.

Executive summary

The Department for Business and Trade has updated its guidance for employment agencies, employment businesses and the recruitment sector on the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003. The guidance, first published on 13 March 2008, has been…

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