Top 10 Staffing Companies in the UK 2026

Recruiting hasn’t been simple in Britain lately. Permanent hiring slowed. Budgets were squeezed. Recruiters shut offices and cut teams.

The figures are telling. Hays, one of the country’s best-known recruiters, saw net fees fall 8% to £905.5 million for the year to June 2026, and it closed or merged 74 offices along the way. PageGroup’s gross profit dipped 2.4% in the first half of 2026 on a constant-currency basis. Still, there are signs of steadier ground: Randstad said its UK revenue climbed 3% in the second quarter of 2026.

For employers, that mix matters. When conditions are choppy, the agency you work with decides how quickly you fill a vacancy, how much compliance risk you carry and whether your contractors show up on Monday morning. Some firms win on sheer scale. Others win because they know one sector, such as rail, nuclear or technology, better than anyone.

We analyzed the UK’s largest staffing firms by revenue, the names that rank on Google for this topic, and each company’s own 2026 results and announcements. This guide looks at the top 10 staffing companies in the UK for 2026, what each one does best and how to choose the right partner for your business.

Why Businesses Use Staffing Companies in the UK

Faster Access to Talent

Large agencies maintain databases of pre-screened candidates who are ready to start. That saves weeks on a typical hiring cycle, which matters most when you need temporary or contract workers now, not next quarter.

Flexibility in an Uncertain Market

Contract and temporary staff let companies scale up for a project or a peak season and scale down once the work is done. With UK permanent hiring still muted in 2026, many employers prefer that flexibility to adding fixed headcount.

Specialist Market Knowledge

Sector specialists know the pay rates, certifications and skill gaps in their field. A recruiter who places rail engineers every day will spot a weak CV faster than a generalist ever could.

Compliance and Workforce Management

Employment law, right-to-work checks and IR35 rules for contractors create real risk. The bigger staffing firms run managed service programs that take on payroll, compliance and supplier management on behalf of the client.

Top 10 Staffing Companies in the UK at a Glance

Top 10 Staffing Companies in the UK (2026)

Here are the top 10 staffing companies in the UK this year, from listed giants to strong independents.

1. Hays

Founded in 1968, Hays is listed on the London Stock Exchange as a member of the FTSE 250. It recruits across six global specialisms: Technology, Finance, Engineering, Construction & Property, Life Sciences and Human Resources. Staffing Industry Analysts ranked it the second-largest staffing firm in the UK, with £1.43 billion of UK revenue in 2024.

Hays is in reset mode. Group net fees fell 8% to £905.5 million in the year to June 2026, and UK&I net fees came in at £174.0 million. Mark Dearnley, previously chief digital and technology officer, became CEO in May 2026. Hays has already secured about £50 million in annual cost savings, and its new Momentum strategy will focus the business on 16 countries.

Key Staffing Solutions
✔ Permanent, temporary and contract recruitment
✔ Technology recruitment (26% of FY26 net fees)
✔ Engineering, construction and life sciences hiring
✔ Enterprise workforce solutions for large employers

Best for: Employers that want a listed, specialist recruiter with deep UK coverage in technology and professional roles.

2. Impellam Group (HeadFirst Global)

Impellam Group is the UK’s largest staffing firm by revenue. Staffing Industry Analysts put its 2024 UK revenue at £1.48 billion, ahead of every other company on its 2025 list. Impellam has since merged with HeadFirst Group to form HeadFirst Global, which operates in more than 80 countries and reports over €12 billion in gross invoice value.

The combined group focuses on STEM, digital and IT talent, managed services and HR technology. In July 2026, it named Simon Blockley Regional CEO for the UK and Europe, bringing both markets under one leadership team. Blockley has more than 25 years of experience in resourcing and managed services and has appeared on the Staffing 100 Europe list for six years in a row. The group’s talent community spans about 1.5 million people.

Key Staffing Solutions
✔ Managed service programs (MSP) for contingent workforces
✔ STEM, digital and IT talent
✔ Workforce solutions in more than 80 countries
✔ HR technology platforms

Best for: Large organizations that want one partner to manage a big contingent workforce across several countries.

3. Morson Group

Morson Group traces its roots to around 1969, when Gerry Mason started the business from the family home in Eccles. Today it is based in Greater Manchester and led by his son, CEO Ged Mason, who took over in 1997. Staffing Industry Analysts ranked Morson the third-largest staffing firm in the UK, with £1.18 billion of UK revenue in 2024.

Morson is an engineering and technical specialist. It recruits across aerospace and defense, rail, nuclear, power, construction, marine and digital projects, and it has a proven track record of hiring former members of the armed forces. Its group brands include Morson Edge, Morson Vital, Morson Praxis and the Morson STEM Foundation. That focus on regulated, safety-critical sectors is where it stands apart from the generalists.

Key Staffing Solutions
✔ Contract and permanent engineering recruitment
✔ Aerospace, defense, rail and nuclear talent
✔ Managed services and workforce outsourcing
✔ Armed forces resettlement hiring

Best for: Engineering, infrastructure and defense employers that need technically qualified contractors.

4. Adecco UK&I

Adecco UK&I is the UK and Ireland arm of The Adecco Group, one of the world’s largest staffing groups. It provides temporary, permanent and specialist staffing for employers across the UK and Ireland. Staffing Industry Analysts placed The Adecco Group fourth in the UK, with £1.08 billion of UK revenue in 2024.

At Adecco UK&I, AI is now a big focus. Under Senior VP and Country Head Niki Turner-Harding, a 2026 Staffing 100 Europe honoree, the UK team was picked to pilot AI agents ahead of a wider international rollout. The pilot earned a customer satisfaction score of 4.3 out of 5 and handled more than half of prescreening conversations outside office hours. Adecco has also retained its Leader and Star Performer status with Everest Group.

Key Staffing Solutions
✔ Temporary and permanent staffing
✔ Professional and specialist staffing
✔ AI-assisted candidate prescreening
✔ Workforce solutions for large employers

Best for: Businesses that need high-volume temporary staff backed by a global group.

5. Reed

Reed started in 1960, when Sir Alec Reed opened the first branch in Hounslow. The family-owned group is headquartered in London, employs about 4,500 people and runs around 180 locations, most of them in the UK. It reported revenue of £1.3 billion for 2024. James Reed, the founder’s son, has been CEO since 1997 and chairman since 2004.

Agency branches are just one part of Reed’s footprint. Its job board, reed.co.uk, launched in 1995 as the UK’s first employment website and today logs about 4 million job applications a month. Reed Specialist Recruitment covers permanent, contract, temporary and outsourced hiring, while Reed in Partnership runs employment programs for the public sector. The Reed Foundation, the family’s charity, owns 18% of the group.

Key Staffing Solutions
✔ Permanent, contract and temporary recruitment
✔ reed.co.uk job board advertising
✔ Outsourced and managed recruitment
✔ Public-sector employment programs

Best for: SMEs and mid-sized firms that want a familiar UK brand with both agency and job board reach.

6. PageGroup

PageGroup was established in 1976 by Michael Page and Bill McGregor. It is headquartered in Weybridge, Surrey, and operates in 36 countries under brands including Michael Page, Page Executive, Page Personnel, Page Outsourcing and Page Contracting. PageGroup is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

In the first half of 2026, PageGroup reported gross profit of £385.2 million, down 2.4% at constant currency. Operating profit rose to £9.7 million from £2.1 million a year earlier, and CEO Nick Kirk’s team grew gross profit per fee earner by 3.7%. The company described UK trading as “more challenging” but said its UK business is profitable at a trading level and expects a better second half.

Key Staffing Solutions
✔ Professional and executive recruitment
✔ Mid-level hiring through Page Personnel
✔ Interim and contract placements
✔ Recruitment process outsourcing

Best for: Companies hiring finance, legal, marketing and senior management talent.

7. Randstad UK

Randstad UK is the British business of Randstad, the Netherlands-based global staffing group led by CEO Sander van ‘t Noordende. In the UK, it runs operational, professional, digital and enterprise staffing, covering everything from temporary industrial workers to permanent technology hires.

Randstad’s group revenue for the second quarter of 2026 was about €5.9 billion, with organic growth of 1.9%, and its UK revenue rose 3%. Kajetan Słonina became Managing Director for the UK and Ireland in October 2025 after three years running Randstad’s Asia Pacific operations, and he was named to the 2026 Staffing 100 Europe list. He sponsored the UK launch of Randstad’s digital marketplace, which reached 100% self-service adoption within four weeks of its March 2026 pilot.

Key Staffing Solutions
✔ Temporary and permanent staffing
✔ Professional and digital talent
✔ Enterprise workforce solutions
✔ Digital self-service hiring marketplace

Best for: Employers that want a global partner with a modern digital hiring platform.

8. ManpowerGroup UK

ManpowerGroup UK is the UK division of US-headquartered ManpowerGroup and operates under the Manpower and Brook Street brands. Brook Street has an especially long history in the UK: Margery Hurst founded it in Mayfair in 1946, and Manpower acquired it in 1985. Together, the two brands give the group a long-established presence in UK temporary and permanent staffing.

In July 2026, ManpowerGroup named Lee Chant Managing Director for the UK and Ireland, with a focus on commercial growth for Manpower and Brook Street. Chant previously worked at Tenth Revolution Group, Frank Recruitment, Argyll Scott, Hydrogen Group and Hays. He replaces Michael Stull, who led the UK team for two and a half years before taking a global strategy role in Milwaukee.

Key Staffing Solutions
✔ High-volume temporary staffing
✔ Office and administrative recruitment via Brook Street
✔ Industrial and logistics workforce supply
✔ Workforce planning and outsourcing

Best for: Logistics, manufacturing and office employers that need reliable volume hiring.

9. Pertemps Network Group

Founded in Birmingham in 1961, Pertemps Network Group has its headquarters at Meriden Hall in the West Midlands. It describes itself as one of the UK’s largest independent recruitment and workforce solutions specialists. Chair Carmen Watson has spent five decades with the company.

Pertemps ranked third overall on the 2026 Grant Thornton Top 200 West Midlands Companies list, making it the highest-placed recruitment firm. Watson was appointed High Sheriff of the County of West Midlands in 2026 and also appeared on the 2026 Global Power 150 Women in Staffing list. As an independent, Pertemps has no overseas parent to answer to, which many UK clients value.

Key Staffing Solutions
✔ Temporary and permanent recruitment
✔ Workforce solutions for industrial and commercial clients
✔ Specialist divisions across multiple sectors
✔ Compliance-led contingent staffing

Best for: Employers that prefer an independent, UK-owned staffing partner.

10. Harvey Nash (Nash Squared)

Harvey Nash was founded in London in 1988. It is part of Nash Squared, previously known as Harvey Nash Group, and its sister brands include Crimson, Spinks and Talent-IT. The business was taken private in 2018 after a buyout by DBAY Advisors, and Bev White serves as Executive Chair.

Harvey Nash is best known for technology recruitment and for its Digital Leadership Report, which began in 1998 and is now in its 26th edition. The latest edition found that AI has become the number one skills shortage among technology leaders, up from sixth place the year before, and that large-scale AI implementations have nearly doubled.

Key Staffing Solutions
✔ Technology and IT recruitment
✔ Executive search for digital leaders
✔ Contract and interim tech talent
✔ IT outsourcing and managed services

Best for: Companies hiring software, data, cyber and AI specialists.

How to Choose the Right Staffing Partner

Match Their Sector Focus to Your Needs

Almost any big agency can hire warehouse operatives at scale, but a rail signaling engineer needs a specialist. Ask what share of the agency’s placements come from your sector, then meet the consultant who will actually handle your account.

Check Compliance and Accreditations

Look for membership of the REC or APSCo, robust right-to-work checks and a sensible approach to IR35. If something goes wrong with a contractor, your business still carries the reputational risk.

Compare Fees and Margins Clearly

Permanent placement fees and temporary margins vary widely between agencies. Get them confirmed in writing, find out what’s included, and check the rebate terms if a new starter leaves early.

Ask About Technology and Speed

Several of the top 10 staffing companies in the UK now use AI screening and self-service platforms. Ask how quickly they can shortlist, what data you’ll see and whether their tools work with your own HR systems.

Consider Scale Versus Attention

Larger groups bring national networks and managed service programs. Independents often give each client more senior attention. Pick the model that fits how many roles you hire each year.

Frequently Asked Questions About Staffing Companies in the UK

Which is the largest staffing company in the UK?

Among the top 10 staffing companies in the UK, Impellam Group is the largest by 2024 UK revenue. It led Staffing Industry Analysts’ 2025 list with £1.48 billion, ahead of Hays (£1.43 billion) and Morson Group (£1.18 billion).

What is the best staffing company in the UK?

Every client is different, so there’s no single best agency for everyone. The top 10 staffing companies in the UK each excel in different areas, and your sector, hiring volume and budget will decide which one suits you.

How much do UK staffing agencies charge?

Fees vary by role, sector and contract type. Permanent placements are usually charged as a percentage of first-year salary, while temporary staff carry a margin on top of pay. Always get terms confirmed in writing before you start.

Is the UK recruitment market recovering in 2026?

The picture is mixed. Hays and PageGroup both reported weaker UK results, while Randstad’s UK revenue rose 3% in the second quarter of 2026. Most firms expect a gradual recovery rather than a sharp rebound.

Conclusion

The top 10 staffing companies in the UK range from listed giants like Hays and PageGroup to specialists like Morson and independents like Reed and Pertemps. Each has responded to a slower market in its own way, whether through cost cuts, mergers, AI tools or a sharper sector focus.

For employers, the lesson is simple. Work out what you need, then choose the partner whose strengths match it. A good staffing firm can save you time, money and risk, and in 2026 that is worth more than ever.