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Top Recruitment Agencies: Permanent Recruitment in the UK

53 of 88 recruitment agencies ranked on evidence in the Q4 2026 edition.

Between them, the 88 recruitment agencies on this page cover temporary staffing (45), executive search (34), contract recruitment (30) and finance and accounting recruitment (16). They also list work in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Leeds. 88 of them have written a profile you can read before you get in touch.

We list 90 recruitment agencies in the UK listed for permanent recruitment. The order comes from what each firm publishes and what has been verified about it, never from payment — at the top right now: Hanson Regan, 24-7 Staffing Limited and 360 Recruitment.

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TrustList ranking

Q4 2026 edition

53 of 88 recruitment agencies ranked on evidence held on 12 October 2026: client reviews, vetting, awards and facts each business states on its own website, which we read and date. Nobody pays to be placed.

Positions are fixed for the quarter; the next edition is due in January 2027.

How this is ranked About this edition

All recruitment agencies 53 ranked SMEs 53 ranked

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Catch 22
Construction and Property Recruitment · Public Sector Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Also in Leeds and Manchester
Catch 22 recruits exclusively for the facilities management sector in the UK.
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Why #1: In business 40+ years · professional accreditation, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Acorn by Synergie
Construction and Property Recruitment · IT and Tech Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Also in Bristol
Acorn by Synergie places temporary, permanent and contract workers through a branch network across England and Wales.
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Why #2: Founded 1992 · ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials · Placed below first here: a listing leads at most 5 rankings, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Hanson Regan
IT and Tech Recruitment · Executive Search · Contract Recruitment · Also in Bromley and London
Hanson Regan finds technical specialists for organisations running large business systems, with SAP as its main area.
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Why #3: Founded 2006 · ISO 9001, ISO 27001, professional accreditation · Placed below first here: a listing leads at most 5 rankings, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Elite Personnel Services Ltd
Temporary Staffing · Customer Service · Digital Marketing · Also in Pudsey and Bradford
Independent West Yorkshire recruitment agency placing permanent, temporary and contract staff across office, technical and production roles
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Why #4: Founded 1998 · ISO 9001, as stated on its own website, read 29 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
G2 Legal Limited
Legal Recruitment · Public Sector · Legal · Also in Brighton and Birmingham
Specialist legal recruiter placing lawyers, company secretaries, IP attorneys and legal support staff in the UK and Australia
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Why #5: Founded 1999 · professional accreditation, as stated on its own website, read 29 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Applause IT Recruitment
IT and Tech Recruitment · Engineering · Travel · Also in United States and Birmingham
Applause IT Recruitment is a specialist technology and digital recruitment consultancy in Birmingham.
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Why #6: Founded 2001 · professional accreditation, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
3Search
Driving and Logistics Recruitment · Executive Search · Contract Recruitment · Also in Austin and New York City
3Search places people into the commercial teams that drive a company's growth, a group of functions it labels the "Revenue Engine".
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Why #7: Founded 2014 · professional accreditation · Founder-led, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Fawkes & Reece
Construction and Property Recruitment · Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) · Executive Search · Also in Southampton and Cardiff
UK construction recruiter placing permanent, freelance, trades and executive staff across building, housing, rail and infrastructure
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Why #8: Founded 2001 · Team of 180+, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Gordon Yates Recruitment and Training
Customer Service · Customer Support · Hybrid · Also in Manchester and London
Gordon Yates Recruitment and Training is a London agency that places people in office-based roles throughout the UK. It has operated since 1947.
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Why #9: Founded 1947, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Joyce Guiness
Office and Admin Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Contract Recruitment · Also in London
Joyce Guiness is a London recruitment agency specialising in business support and personal assistant roles.
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Why #10: Founded 1969, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Earl Street Employment Consultants
Temporary Staffing · Contract Recruitment
Earl Street Employment Consultants is a recruitment agency based in Maidstone, Kent. It has been placing people in jobs and helping employers find staff since 1977.
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Why #11: Founded 1977 · Family-run, as stated on its own website, read 29 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Jobwise
Office and Admin Recruitment · Driving and Logistics Recruitment · Accounting & Finance · Also in Altrincham and Warrington
Jobwise is a recruitment agency in the North West of England that has operated since 1979.
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Why #12: Founded 1979, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Berkeley Scott
Temporary Staffing · Hospitality Recruitment · Energy · Also in England and Birmingham
Berkeley Scott has recruited for hospitality, catering and support services since 1984.
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Why #13 (shared): Founded 1984, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Artisan People
Sales and Marketing Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Executive Search · Also in London
Artisan People is a recruitment group, founded in 1984, that supplies both temporary and permanent staff.
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Why #13 (shared): Founded 1984, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Express Recruitment Agency Nottingham
Office and Admin Recruitment · Sales and Marketing Recruitment · Public Sector Recruitment · Also in Leicester and Derby
Express Recruitment is a recruitment agency based in Nottingham and Derby, serving the East Midlands. It has provided temporary and permanent staffing solutions since 1987.
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Why #15 (shared): Founded 1987, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Harper Recruitment Group
Finance and Accounting Recruitment · Office and Admin Recruitment · Construction and Property Recruitment · Also in Derby and Nottingham
Harper Recruitment Group is a recruitment agency founded in 1987 and based in Nottingham.
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Why #15 (shared): Founded 1987, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Career Moves Group
Finance and Accounting Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Executive Search · Also in London
Career Moves Group is a London recruitment agency and talent acquisition partner with more than 35 years in the business.
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Why #17 (shared): In business 35+ years, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Hcs uk catering recruitment
Temporary Staffing · Hospitality Recruitment · Industrial · Also in Sheffield
HCS Recruitment supplies trained catering, hospitality and facilities staff from its base in Sheffield.
Write a review
Why #17 (shared): In business 35+ years, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Elizabeth Michael Associates
Construction and Property Recruitment · Temporary Staffing · Executive Search · Also in Nottingham
Elizabeth Michael Associates is an independently owned recruitment business that has traded since 1991.
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Why #17 (shared): Founded 1991, as stated on its own website, read 29 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Avenue Recruitment
Temporary Staffing · Utilities · Also in Scotland
Avenue Recruitment, which also trades as Avenue Scotland, is an independent recruitment agency run from offices in Dunfermline, Fife.
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Why #20: Founded 1993, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Bright Purple
IT and Tech Recruitment · Executive Search · Contract Recruitment · Also in Aberdeen and Edinburgh
Bright Purple recruits technology and change specialists, working from its headquarters in Edinburgh.
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Why #21 (shared): In business 30+ years, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Creative Recruitment Limited
Sales and Marketing Recruitment · Contract Recruitment · Digital Marketing · Also in Wales and London
UK recruitment agency placing creative, digital, marketing and content professionals in permanent, contract and freelance roles
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Why #21 (shared): In business 30+ years, as stated on its own website, read 28 Sept 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Language Matters
Contract Recruitment · Travel · Also in Europe and London
Specialist recruiter placing bilingual and multilingual staff on temporary, contract and permanent terms in London and Amsterdam
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Why #21 (shared): In business 30+ years, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.
Goodman Masson
Construction and Property Recruitment · Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) · Accounting & Finance · Also in Clerkenwell and London
Goodman Masson is a recruitment company that hires for finance, technology and specialist roles.
Write a review
Why #21 (shared): In business 30+ years, as stated on its own website, read 5 Oct 2026
Not yet on record: client reviews, vetting.

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How is this ranking worked out?

The order comes from what each firm publishes and what has been verified about it, and never from payment:

Profile completeness: the details a buyer needs to judge a firm — what it does, who it serves, how it prices, who it has worked for
Earned trust: verification, awards and the other checks a firm has actually passed
Client reviews, where they exist: the rating is smoothed, so one five-star review cannot outrank a firm with a hundred good ones, and volume counts with diminishing returns

Client reviews are still rare across this catalogue, so on most lists today the order is set by the first two. A firm near the top is the best-documented and best-verified one we hold, which is not the same claim as the best one to hire. Use the list to build a shortlist, then check the firms yourself.

Sponsored listings are labelled and shown apart from this list. How rankings work

Only firms whose profile names the UK are counted here, so a firm that lists a town but no country is not yet included.

Where else can I look?

The same list for the USA: permanent recruitment in the USA (113).

Other specialisms in the UK: temporary staffing (63) · executive search (55).

Every recruitment agency in the UK: the full list.

Every category in the UK: the UK country page.

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Every other way we rank recruitment agencies, by what they do and where they are.

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Top Recruitment Agencies: Permanent Recruitment in the UK

Catch 22

Acorn by Synergie

Hanson Regan

Elite Personnel Services Ltd

G2 Legal Limited

Applause IT Recruitment

3Search

Fawkes & Reece

Gordon Yates Recruitment and Training

Joyce Guiness

Earl Street Employment Consultants

Jobwise

Berkeley Scott

Artisan People

Express Recruitment Agency Nottingham

Harper Recruitment Group

Career Moves Group

Hcs uk catering recruitment

Elizabeth Michael Associates

Avenue Recruitment

Bright Purple

Creative Recruitment Limited

Language Matters

Goodman Masson