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Employment Agencies

The Department is responsible for regulating the conduct of employment agencies and businesses in Northern Ireland.

Enforcement

The Department can enter and inspect the premises and records of all employment agencies and businesses in Northern Ireland to ensure compliance with the Regulations. Inspections are carried out routinely or upon receipt of a complaint. Serious or repeated breaches of the legislation will be prosecuted and in some cases, we may seek to prohibit an agency from operating.

Agents who are currently prohibited by EAI from operating in Northern Ireland

Name of Prohibited Agent Name of Agency Sector Prohibited from Prohibited until
Patrick Duncan 'Dealers Agency' (Belfast) Actors / Entertainers 28 October 2011 27 October 2019
Glyn Davies Formerly t/a 'Lothian Variety' and 'Emkay Lothian Entertainments' (Lothian, Scotland) Entertainers / Models 13 June 2011 12 December 2020

Agents permitted to run or be involved in running an employment agency or employment business in Northern Ireland subject to certain conditions being met.

Name of Prohibited Agent Sector Conditions apply from Conditions apply until
Mark McCrory Actors 26 March 2010 25 March 2015
Susan Davies Entertainers / Models 13 June 2011 12 December 2020

For further information on these conditions please contact the EAI via the details at the bottom of the page.

The fourth EAI report on private recruitment sector enforcement has now been prepared and covers the period of April 2011 to March 2012.

The third EAI report on private recruitment sector enforcement covers the period of April 2010 to March 2011

The second Departmental report on private recruitment sector enforcement covers the period of April 2009 to March 2010.

The first Departmental report on private recruitment sector enforcement covers an extended period of Jan 2006 to Mar 2009.

Complaints

Should you wish to make a complaint

Customer Service Standards

You can find out more about the service standards you can expect to receive from the Employment Agency Inspectorate here.

Enforcement Guide

You can find out more about what you can expect from our Inspectors, from any inspection of your agency records, or from an investigation of a complaint here.

Legislation

All employment agencies and businesses must comply with the:

In the main the Regulations require employment agencies and businesses to make more detailed checks on their clients to ensure that they are suitable for vacancies; tighten controls on client accounts; clarify requirements to keep records and tighten restrictions relating to charges and fees.

The Department consulted in 2007 and 2009 on the proposals to amend the 2005 Conduct Regulations. These consultation documents are still available for download. The Department published detailed analyses of these consultations and the Departmental Responses to these were published in early 2008 and mid 2010. The amending Regulations came into operation on 6 April 2008 and 1 December 2010, respectively.

Guidance

Other Guidance

The Department has recently produced the following information in relation to Models and Would be Entertainers and Drivers Working via Employment Agencies Employment Businesses:-

We have also produced the following guidance in relation to the Regulations:-

  • Frequently Asked Questions for Work-Seekers available in English, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese.
  • Frequently Asked Questions for Agencies

Private Recruitment Sector Research

Due to the continuing development of policy and legislation in relation to the Private Recruitment Sector, the Department considered that research into this sector was essential.

As there had previously been no specific local research into the size and nature of the Private Recruitment Sector in Northern Ireland, the Department anticipates that this report will be an important step towards better informing future policymaking and improving the Department’s ability to meet the needs of Northern Ireland’s agency workers, agencies and hirers.

The Department will use these findings in policy areas that affect the private recruitment sector, such as the proposed amendments to the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005, and in the implementation of the Temporary Agency Workers Directive.

The findings of the report will also assist the Department’s Employment Agency Inspectors in increasing protections for the Private Recruitment Sector’s most vulnerable workers in Northern Ireland. Final Report

Contact Us

Employment Agency Inspectorate (EAI)
Department for Employment and Learning
Employment Relations Policy and Legislation Branch
Room 203
Adelaide House
39-49 Adelaide Street
BELFAST
BT2 8FD

E-mail: eai@delni.gov.uk external link

EAI telephone helpline: 028 9025 7554 (Monday - Friday 9-00am - 5-00pm)