Employment activities (SIC division 78)
Division 78 of the UK SIC 2007 list. It holds 4 codes, listed in full below with the number of active UK companies filed under each.
What sits in division 78
This division covers the recruitment industry in all its forms. Permanent placement agencies use 78109. Temporary staffing businesses use 78200. Code 78300 covers human resources provision. Umbrella companies, payroll vehicles and staff outsourcing arrangements all use it, alongside genuine HR providers. Respect the split when you build a list. A 78200 company runs candidates on its own payroll and carries the compliance burden that brings. Many 78109 companies are one recruiter working from a laptop.
Recruitment firms buy a deep stack for their size. They need job board credits, sourcing tools, CRM and ATS platforms, invoice finance to cover contractor payroll, and back-office outsourcing. Funders watch 78200 incorporations most closely. A temp agency needs working capital from its first placement. A brand new 78109 company usually means an experienced consultant has gone solo. That is prime timing for software and finance offers. Young agencies often launch with a thin website, so pair the poor-website filter with incorporation date rather than reading it as a dead company.
How to read a division 78 code
A UK SIC code is five digits and division 78 is the first two of them. Everything filed under 78 shares those digits: all 4 codes below begin 78, then the third digit narrows to a group, the fourth to a class and the fifth to the subclass a company actually picks. Division 78 sits inside section N, administrative and support service activities, which is the broadest tier of the classification. So a code is read left to right, from an industry down to a specific activity.
More on how division 78 codes are built
Companies choose their own codes at incorporation and can change them on any confirmation statement, and Companies House does not check the answer. A company may list up to four. That is worth knowing before you treat any division total as a headcount: the numbers here are what companies said about themselves, on the August 2026 register, and the largest single code in this division is 78109, other activities of employment placement agencies.
Working division 78 as a list
Division 78 holds 4 codes and 67,464 active companies between them. 78109 is the largest at 44 per cent and the top three take 97 per cent, with the rest spread across the remaining 1 code. That is balanced enough that the division is a reasonable unit to work, though the leading code alone will usually give you a cleaner list.
More on working division 78
A caveat that matters more in some divisions than others: a company may register up to four SIC codes, and the figures below count every position, not just the first. A business filed under two codes in this division appears under both. Treat the totals as reach rather than a headcount, and if you need a clean list, filter to companies whose FIRST code sits in the division. Every company you pull carries the Companies House record, the director's name, a verified website and a verified email, and the ones we cannot complete are not charged.
Every SIC code in division 78
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Division 78 questions
What is the difference between SIC codes 78109 and 78200?
Code 78109 covers placement agencies. They introduce candidates for permanent roles and earn a fee on hire. Code 78200 covers temporary agencies. They employ or engage workers, supply them to clients, and invoice for the hours worked. Cash flow and compliance differ sharply between the two. Agencies doing both usually register both codes. Companies House allows up to 4 per company, amendable on any confirmation statement.
Does a recruitment agency need a licence to operate in the UK?
In most sectors, no. Agencies must follow the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations. The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate enforces them. There is one exception. Supplying workers into sectors covered by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, such as agriculture and food processing, needs a GLAA licence. None of this is connected to your SIC code.
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