Broadly speaking an employment agency introduces work seekers to client employers for direct employment by those employers. This is usually known in the industry as "permanent recruitment" or employment even though the employment may only be for a fixed period, such as a 6-month contract. The difference here is that the worker is contracted to work with the client directly and is paid by the client.

The word "hirer" is the person (including firms and corporate bodies) to whom temporary workers are supplied or to whom candidates are introduced for direct employment

These are the services provided by the agency and employment business to individuals either looking for permanent work or temporary work in order to help them find that work and include:

* The services it is providing to a candidate looking for permanent employment;

This is the person looking for either/both permanent and/or temporary work and includes not only individual work seekers but also limited company contractors (including composite and umbrella companies) who have not opted out of the Regulations. Under this definition; a work seeker is not only a person that an employment agency or employment business provides work finding services to but also a person to whom it holds itself out to as being capable of providing such services. In other words both those actually working through the agency or employment business and those who may do so in the future.

This does not mean however that where the agency or employment business receives large numbers of speculative CVs that it cannot use, it is required to issue contracts to those persons or keep records in respect of them. The requirement to issue contracts and keep records only arises once the agency or employment business starts taking active steps towards placing a work seeker in work.