SIC 78
Permanent recruitment agencies, temporary staffing businesses, executive search firms, nursing and care staffing agencies and casting agencies: for software vendors, insurers, job boards and payroll providers who want to reach staffing providers by post or find them as partners.
Our UK dataset holds 2,676,396 records (as at 4 November 2026); they are not yet assigned to industries. The quote states the size available for this industry.
Export of the whole industry: £349 (full price). Selections by nation, postcode area or your own filters are quoted on request.
Official statistics: 30,260 businesses in the UK according to ONS, UK business: activity, size and location 2026 (enterprises in March 2026, published 24 September 2026). Division 78 employment activities: employment placement agencies (78.1), temporary employment agencies (78.2) and other human resources provision (78.3). This is the size of the market, not the size of our dataset.
The industry is division 78 of UK SIC 2007 (employment activities). The UK splits placement into casting (78.10/1) and all other placement agencies (78.10/9), where the ONS index also puts executive recruitment consultants.
Temporary staffing is 78.20, which the ONS index also uses for nursing agencies and teaching supply. Because the company chooses its SIC code, a firm doing permanent and temporary work may appear in either class.
| UK SIC 2007 | Official title | For your selection |
|---|---|---|
| 78.10/1 | Motion picture, television and other theatrical casting | casting agencies |
| 78.10/9 | Activities of employment placement agencies (other than motion picture, television and other theatrical casting) nec | permanent recruitment, executive search |
| 78.20 | Temporary employment agency activities | temporary staffing, nursing agencies, teaching supply |
| 78.30 | Other human resources provision | longer-term provision of staff |
The Employment Agencies Act 1973 sets the framework; according to GOV.UK, some agencies need a licence if they supply specific types of workers.
These 15 columns are included.
An agency introduces candidates who are then employed by the client; an employment business engages the worker and supplies them to work under someone else’s supervision, which GOV.UK calls temping. Firms doing both pick one SIC code.
The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has been replaced by the Fair Work Agency, which now publishes the Conduct Regulations guidance. Large agencies have branches in several regions; the export usually shows the business address as given in the source.
Recruitment firms trading as limited companies are corporate subscribers under PECR reg. 2: you may email them without prior consent if you identify yourself and give a valid opt-out address (reg. 23). Sole-trader recruiters count as individuals. Screen numbers against the TPS and Corporate TPS before calling.
Example request: we offer timesheet software for temporary staffing and are looking for businesses in SIC 78.20 and 78.30 in the North West, Yorkshire and The Humber and Scotland with a website, for a postal mailing. How many records is that?
Use cases
Staffing firms in a nation for a postal mailing.
Staffing businesses as a target group.
Find agencies in a region as partners.
Market size of staffing providers per region.
Questions
Where a record carries a UK SIC code (from the Companies House match, which is in progress), yes: 78.20, optionally with 78.30; permanent placement (78.10) can be requested separately. Otherwise we select by business category and name on request; the quote states how precise the selection is.
Yes, the ONS index places executive recruitment consultants in 78.10/9. Firms that call themselves management consultants may have chosen 70.22; ask for both.
Agencies that are companies or LLPs, yes, without prior consent, if you identify yourself and include an opt-out. Named consultants’ addresses are personal data under UK GDPR. Details: PECR rules for B2B email and calls.
30,260 businesses in the UK according to ONS, UK business: activity, size and location 2026 (enterprises in March 2026, published 24 September 2026). Division 78 employment activities: employment placement agencies (78.1), temporary employment agencies (78.2) and other human resources provision (78.3). This is a figure from official statistics, not the size of our dataset.
Format, sources, price and marketing law (PECR, TPS screening): questions about all industries.
