Employment Agency Privacy Notice

This Employment Agency Privacy Notice has been updated to reflect changes made by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, including new wording on data protection complaints, compatible further use of personal data, reasonable and proportionate searches when responding to subject access requests, automated decision-making and profiling, and recognised legitimate interests.

This Employment Agency Privacy Notice is a UK GDPR-compliant template designed to give job applicants and work-seekers key information about how an employment agency collects, uses, stores, and shares their personal data during the recruitment process.

It is intended to help agencies meet the right to be informed by explaining, at the point data is collected, how applicant and work-seeker data will be processed, what lawful bases may apply, and what rights individuals have in relation to that data.

Suitable for recruitment carried out through an employment agency

This template is designed for use where an employment agency collects personal data from job applicants and work-seekers as part of its recruitment and work-finding activities.

It provides a practical framework for explaining data use in a clear and accessible way, while covering the main transparency information required by the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and related data protection legislation.

What this Employment Agency Privacy Notice covers

• the identity and contact details of the agency;
• the personal data collected and how it is obtained;
• the purposes for which applicant and work-seeker personal data is processed and the lawful basis relied on;
• any legitimate interests or recognised legitimate interests relied upon;
• how individuals can raise concerns or complaints about the use of their personal data;
• the recipients or categories of recipients of the personal data;
• any transfers of personal data outside the UK and the basis for those transfers;
• how long personal data will be kept, or the criteria used to determine retention;
• the individual’s rights, including subject access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, and withdrawal of consent;
• reasonable and proportionate searches when responding to subject access requests;
• any automated decision-making and profiling, including meaningful information about the logic involved and its consequences; and
• the source of personal data where it is obtained from a third party, including publicly accessible sources.

Important scope points

This template is designed for employment agencies providing work-finding services. It should be completed so that it accurately reflects the agency’s actual recruitment, candidate management, client sharing, right to work, payroll, retention, and data security practices.

The template includes optional wording for recognised legitimate interests. This lawful basis is limited to specific purposes under data protection law and should not be treated as a general alternative to ordinary legitimate interests. It should be used with care, and professional advice should be taken where there is uncertainty.

Specific legal advice may also be needed where the agency processes special category personal data, criminal offence data, safeguarding information, or information relating to children or vulnerable individuals.

Related guidance

For broader guidance on transparency, the right to be informed, data protection complaints, and choosing the most suitable privacy information template, see the Privacy Information Guidance Notes.

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