The government has updated the Fair Work Agency's enforcement policy statement to spell out the breadth of what the agency will enforce.
The update, made on 26 August 2026, confirms that the Fair Work Agency (FWA) has a role protecting vulnerable and exploited workers under sections 1 and 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and that its officers can use police-style powers when investigating suspected serious labour market offences.
It also makes a sharper point. Where serious labour exploitation does not meet the threshold for a modern slavery offence, the statement says the FWA may investigate and prosecute under the Fraud Act 2006. In effect, the regulator has more than one legal route to act against exploitative practices.
Modern slavery offences remain devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where the FWA will continue working closely with the police, local authorities and other bodies.
The FWA, live since April 2026, brings together enforcement that was previously split across several bodies. For recruitment agencies, the practical takeaway is that compliance risk now sits with a single, well-resourced regulator, which raises the value of clean pay records, a supply chain you understand, and worker concerns handled early.
BIOR has updated its Fair Work Agency guide to explain the wider remit in plain English: https://ior.org/fair-work-agency-explained
Source: Fair Work Agency enforcement policy statement, GOV.UK, gov.uk