Problems resulting from the new EAA Regulations

One of the problems resulting from the new EAA Regulations is that they use definitions left over from the 1973 Act for Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses.
In the official definitions an employment agency deals only with permanent recruitment and finding work for models, sportspeople and entertainment staff. Employment businesses deal with contract workers and temps.

Unfortunately this is almost the reverse of common usage. To most people an agency supplies temps or contractors, while if the term employment business is used permanent recruitment is more likely to spring to mind. It is a pity that the DTI did not take the opportunity to amend the definitions when drafting the regulations.

Perhaps the answer is for us to use the terms permanent agency and temporary agency to avoid confusion.

Unfortunately this will not entirely remove the problem as Section 27(1) requires us to state in any vacancy advertisement whether we are acting as an employment agency or an employment business.

Michael Organe
Project Search Ltd
Employment Agency (permanent)
0845-108-3713