Employment agencies and employment businesses: record keeping

All the records relating to either work-seekers, hirers or situations where more than one employment agency or business is involved must be kept for at least one year after their creation.

Records relating to applications from hirers and work-seekers must be retained for at least one year following the date that the agency or employment business last provided its services to that work-seeker or hirer.

If you run a modelling or entertainment agency, client account records must be kept for a minimum of six years. For further information see entertainment and modelling agencies.

You can keep records at the premises where you trade or elsewhere. You must make sure they are readily accessible and can be delivered to the trading premises to which they relate - ie the premises at which the work-seeker/hirer is registered or employed, or premises you carry out the business with any other employment agency or employment business.

If a request for records is made by an Employment Agency Inspectorate inspector they must be delivered no later than the end of the second business day following the day the request for them is made. For example, if a request for records is made on a Monday, you must be able to deliver them by the end of Wednesday.

Records can be kept in electronic form provided they are capable of being reproduced in a legible form.