Temporary work agencies and placement agencies
Identify who employs you, who organises the work and which channel you use.
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What to keep in mind
- An agency is not necessarily your employer.
- Both the temporary-work agency and user company have obligations.
- Agency work does not remove pay or safety protections.
General guidance for employees in Spain. The collective agreement, employment relationship and circumstances can change the answer. Seek employment advice for a specific dispute or deadline.
Who does what when an intermediary is involved
The organisation posting an offer, the one signing the contract and the workplace may differ. Before sending documents, identify each role and check the official channel.
Placement agency
Matches people with jobs. Check who ultimately employs you; placement services must be free for workers.
Temporary-work agency
Employs you and assumes pay and Social Security obligations. It cannot charge you recruitment, training or hiring costs.
User company
Directs work during the assignment and is responsible for health and safety protection at that workplace.
Different roles
Placement agencies connect applicants with employers. A temporary work agency (ETT) may employ you to work temporarily for a user company under the legal framework. Check the employer named in your documents.
Before starting
Ask about the contract, user company, duties, location, hours, pay and agreement. Essential working conditions during the assignment have statutory equality guarantees. Agency work does not remove training and safety obligations.
If a problem occurs
Keep your contract, assignment communications, records and payslips. Report problems through a recorded channel and ask which company bears the relevant responsibility.
Explore a worked example
A temporary-work agency issues the payslip, but a machine incident occurs at the company where the work is done.
How to interpret it
“That is the other company’s problem” is not enough. Duties are distributed and liability may be shared.
A useful next step
Report through the workplace safety channels and to the agency, without taking risks to obtain evidence.
My preparation checklist
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