Best Admin Recruitment Agencies in the UK

There is no shortage of admin candidates in the UK. Administration was the second most applied-for job sector in Q4 2025 according to a recent report from CVLibrary. The challenge is finding the right one, and that depends on which administration recruitment agency you use. 

This guide compares the best admin recruitment agencies across the UK by region, specialism, and model, each one the best in their area.

If you are looking for an admin role rather than hiring for one, browse current admin vacancies and apply directly through the Oriel Partners job board.

Disclosure: This guide is published by Oriel Partners. Oriel features in the list and is evaluated against the same criteria as every other agency.

The UK’s Best Admin Recruitment Agencies at a Glance

The table below summarises each agency's specialism and coverage. Scroll down for the full evaluation, or use the "best for" column to jump straight to find the agency most relevant to your hiring needs.

How These Agencies Were Evaluated

Each recruitment agency administration specialist or generalist is labelled "best for" a particular use case based on what it actually does well in a specific region or hiring context. This is not a ranking of best to worst.

Every entry evaluates the same six elements: specialism depth, geographic reach, agency model, strengths, limitations, and best-fit client profile. The aim is to help employers match their hiring situation to the right agency rather than defaulting to the biggest name.

The UK's Best Admin Recruitment Agencies Compared

Oriel Partners: Best for London PA and EA Recruitment with UK-Wide Reach

Specialism: Oriel Partners are specialists in PA, EA, office manager, receptionist, and admin recruitment from junior through to Chief of Staff. Around 60% of placements are at EA/PA level, and around 50% are senior grade. Founded in 2018 by Auria Heanley and Olivia Coughtrie, who bring 40+ years of combined sector experience.

Reach: London-based, recruiting across the UK and internationally.

Model: Permanent and temporary, contingency. Works to a 48-hour shortlist target (permanent) and two-hour response target (temporary). 12-week refund and replacement clause.

Strengths: 100% of candidates assessed before submission with full reference checking for temp candidates. 4.9-star Google rating from close to 200 candidate and client reviews. REC member since 2019. Shortlisted for the Recruiter Awards 2024 in three categories including best candidate care and best client service.

Limitation: Oriel Partners presents a curated shortlist rather than a high volume of CVs. Hiring managers who prefer to see a wide pool of candidates and make their own initial filtering decisions may find this approach more selective than they are used to.

Best fit: Employers in London or UK-wide who need thorough, assessment-led admin recruitment, particularly in corporate, finance, private equity, property, and family office sectors.

To find out how Oriel Partners can support your admin recruitment needs across the UK, or to discuss a PA recruitment brief with a specialist consultant, get in touch directly.

Lily Shippen: Best for Manchester and North West PA/EA Recruitment

Specialism: Specialist EA, PA, HR, and business support recruitment. Founded in 2016. The team includes former business support professionals, which shows in the interview prep candidates consistently highlight in reviews.

Reach: Manchester HQ with a London office. Strongest networks across Manchester, Cheshire, Leeds, and the wider North West.

Model: Permanent, temporary, and contract. Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award. 300+ five-star reviews. 83% of business comes from client referrals. Also runs an EA/PA mentoring programme and training courses designed specifically for the support profession.

Strengths: Candidates report being placed within days, not weeks. The referral rate suggests clients come back because the first hire worked. Genuinely embedded in the Manchester market rather than working it remotely from London.

Limitation: Lily Shippen's strength is at the EA, PA, and HR end of the market. If you need a junior receptionist or general office administrator in Manchester, their sweet spot is above that level and a generalist with broader admin coverage may be more appropriate.

Best fit: Manchester and North West employers hiring EAs, PAs, or business support professionals who want a specialist recruiter with genuine local knowledge.

Katie Bard: Best for Admin and Business Support Hiring in the Midlands

Specialism: Specialist business support recruitment covering PA, EA, office manager, admin, reception, customer service, and graduate roles. Birmingham city centre HQ. Part of Angela Mortimer Plc, which gives the team access to a group that places circa 2,500 permanent candidates and manages around 1,000 temps daily across the UK.

Reach: Full West Midlands coverage including Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, and Shropshire.

Model: Permanent and temporary. 30+ years in the greater Birmingham market. Uses a "matching dynamics" process prioritising cultural and skills fit. Particularly strong in legal PA and office support roles for Midlands law firms.

Strengths: Embedded Midlands knowledge that national agencies cannot replicate. Candidates praise speed of placement and quality of role matching when the fit is right. The Angela Mortimer backing provides infrastructure without losing the local feel.

Limitation: Candidate reviews are mixed on follow-up communication. Some report excellent ongoing support; others flag gaps between initial registration and being put forward for roles. Worth establishing clear expectations upfront about how frequently you will hear from your consultant.

Best fit: Midlands employers hiring admin, PA, office support, or graduate-level business support staff, particularly legal and professional services firms in Birmingham and the surrounding area.

Eden Scott: Best for Admin and Business Support Hiring in Scotland

Specialism: Business support is a dedicated division within one of Scotland's leading independent recruitment agencies. Founded in 2003 by three consultants who left one of Scotland's largest recruiters. Now 65+ consultants across three offices.

Reach: Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. Also runs TalentSpark, a recruitment service tailored to start-ups and early-stage companies. Named clients include NHS, National Trust for Scotland, and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Model: Permanent, temporary, and contract. Dedicated business support consultants separate from other sector teams. Also designs and delivers assessment centres for clients with more complex hiring needs.

Strengths: The strongest independent recruitment brand in Scotland with over 20 years of local market knowledge. Candidates praise the personalised attention and thorough interview preparation. Low consultant turnover means you are unlikely to re-brief a new contact every few months.

Limitation: Admin is one division among 15+ specialisms, and Glassdoor reviews from staff note internal competition between departments. In practice, that means response times can vary depending on which consultant picks up your brief and how busy higher-fee sectors are that quarter.

Best fit: Scottish employers hiring admin or business support staff who want a recruiter with genuine local presence across Edinburgh, Glasgow, or Aberdeen.

Honeycomb Jobs: Best for Admin and Business Support Hiring in Northern Ireland

Specialism: Northern Ireland's only dedicated business support and admin recruitment agency. Founded in 2017. This is all they do: PA, EA, receptionist, office manager, and admin roles across every sector.

Reach: Belfast HQ. Covers all of Northern Ireland across public, private, and third sectors. Recently expanded to the Republic of Ireland with a Dublin operation.

Model: Permanent and temporary. 4.9-star Google rating. Publishes a Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland salary survey (2026 edition available). A notable track record includes building a team of over 100 support staff for a global financial services firm establishing a Belfast operation.

Strengths: Pure specialist focus means every consultant recruits exclusively for admin and business support. Candidates particularly praise the support for career changers and people returning to work after long breaks, which suggests the consultants invest time rather than just processing CVs.

Limitation: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland only. No coverage in Great Britain.

Best fit: Northern Ireland employers across any sector who need admin or business support staff and want the only dedicated specialist in the NI market.

Robert Half: Best for City-Specific Admin Hiring Through Local Offices

Specialism: Admin and office support is one division within a global multi-discipline recruiter covering finance, technology, legal, HR, and marketing. In the UK since 1973.

Reach: 22 UK offices including London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Reading, Oxford, Cambridge, and Southampton.

Model: Permanent, temporary, and contract. Contingency for most admin roles. Publishes an annual salary guide with detailed admin benchmarking.

Strengths: The 22-office footprint means you get a recruiter who actually knows your city, not a London consultant working off a database. Strong salary benchmarking data.

Limitation: Admin is a smaller division within a finance and technology-led business. Your consultant may also be filling accountancy or IT roles, which means admin briefs do not always get first attention.

Best fit: Employers hiring admin staff in a specific UK city who want an agency with established local relationships and salary data, particularly outside the regions covered by the specialists on this list.

Reed: Best for Public Sector and Regional Admin Hiring

Specialism: Business support and administration is a dedicated division within one of the UK's largest recruiters. Founded in 1960. Also covers 19 other sectors.

Reach: 100+ UK locations across every region, including Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Also operates reed.co.uk, the UK's largest recruitment website.

Model: Permanent, temporary, and interim. Holds Crown Commercial Service and other public sector procurement frameworks. Fast-track screening for compliant temp hires.

Strengths: Regional depth that few competitors match. Dedicated admin consultants in local offices with real knowledge of regional salary benchmarks. Public sector framework compliance built in.

Limitation: Twenty specialist sectors compete for internal resources. In regional offices, admin can be a secondary priority behind higher-fee divisions, which means response times can be slower.

Best fit: Public sector organisations or regional employers hiring admin staff who need procurement framework compliance and the reach of the UK's largest recruitment website.

How to Choose the Right Administration Recruitment Agency

How senior is the role? For EAs supporting a CEO or board, choose a specialist like Oriel Partners or Lily Shippen. For general admin or reception, a generalist with local coverage like Reed or Robert Half will often suffice.

Where are you hiring? London employers should look at Oriel Partners. Manchester and the North West are best served by Lily Shippen. The Midlands by Katie Bard. Scotland by Eden Scott. Northern Ireland by Honeycomb Jobs. For multi-city UK hiring, Robert Half's 22-office network provides local knowledge at national scale.

Is your hiring in the public sector? Reed holds Crown Commercial Service and other procurement frameworks, making it the strongest option for compliant public sector admin hiring.

How many people do you need? High-volume or rolling temp requirements suit Reed or Robert Half. For one or two critical hires, a regional specialist with a consultative process will deliver better long-term outcomes.

Temp or permanent? Most agencies on this list cover both. Reed is strongest on the temp side at scale. Oriel Partners and Lily Shippen are strongest on considered, assessment-led permanent hiring.

What is your budget? Specialist agencies typically charge higher fees but deliver more thoroughly screened candidates. Generalists offer lower cost risk but may require more of your time managing the shortlisting process.

Frequently Asked Questions About Admin Recruitment Agencies

Is it worth using a recruitment agency for admin roles?

For specialist, senior, or hard-to-fill positions, a good administration recruitment agency saves time and reduces hiring risk through screening, salary benchmarking, and offer management. For straightforward junior roles with strong local supply, a direct advert may suffice.

What are the red flags to watch for in recruitment agencies?

Agencies that cannot name their specialism. Consultants who send large CV volumes without context. Contracts that lock you into exclusivity without clear service commitments. No transparency about fees or sourcing methods.

What is the difference between a recruiter and a headhunter?

A recruiter typically works on contingency, advertising roles and searching databases. A headhunter works on retainer, proactively approaching passive candidates. Many agencies offer both depending on role seniority.

What are the best paid admin roles in the UK?

Executive Assistants in financial services and private equity command the highest salaries, often £60,000 to £90,000 in London. Chiefs of Staff can reach six figures. Outside London, senior PA and EA salaries typically range from £35,000 to £55,000.

Which is the best recruitment agency for admin jobs in the UK?

There is no single best agency. The right choice depends on what you are hiring for, where, and at what seniority. This guide matches specific hiring needs to the best recruitment agencies for admin jobs in the UK.

Finding the Right Admin Recruitment Agency

The admin recruitment market is broad, but the best outcomes come from working with an agency that understands your specific location, sector, and role requirements. As hybrid working reshapes where admin roles are based and AI changes what those roles involve day to day, local market knowledge matters more than ever.

Whether you need a specialist PA recruiter in London, a regional office support agency in the Midlands, or a public sector admin partner with framework compliance, the agencies in this guide represent the strongest options across the UK in 2026.

If you are ready to hire, get in touch with Oriel Partners today to see how they can help you find the exact right person for the job.