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Temp staffing agency companies in the Portsmouth area

141 temp staffing agency companies have a registered office in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes), and 18 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £24,808 in cash and owed £40,766 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Temporary employment agency activities” (SIC 78200). Covers companies with a registered office in PO postcodes, including Portsmouth, Chichester, Isle Of Wight.

The numbers

Temp staffing agency companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasurePortsmouthUK
Registered companies14114,152
Formed in 2025 or 202618 (13%)21%
Being struck off or in liquidation17 (12%)15%
Typical cash at year end£24,80840 accounts£19,303
Typical amount owed at year end£40,76673 accounts£26,442
Typical number of employees270 accounts2

What this means if you’re starting one

More of these companies are closing than in most trades

11% of temp staffing agency companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) are currently being struck off, against 6.8% of all companies there. Nationally that rate is higher than 89% of UK industries.

Closures run high here. It is a churn signal, not a survival rate, but it means the common failure points are worth learning before you start.

You will be up against established operators

13% of the 141 temp staffing agency companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) were formed in 2025–26, against 19% of all companies in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes).

Few new companies are entering, so your customers will compare you with businesses that have years of reviews and regulars.

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical temp staffing agency company in the Portsmouth area (PO postcodes) reports 2 employees; the top quarter has 10 or more (70 filings).

You are mostly up against owner-operators. Your own hours are likely to be your biggest cost, and the easiest one to undercount.

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What these figures can’t tell you

Companies are counted where their registered office is, which may be an accountant or a home address rather than a shop. Sole traders and partnerships are not on the register, and electronically filed accounts cover roughly 60–75% of accounts filed each year. The figures describe companies that exist; they cannot prove demand for your idea or predict whether it will work. How the figures are built.

Temp staffing agency in other places

Other businesses in Portsmouth

All business benchmarks in Portsmouth