Catford is the administrative centre of South East London's Lewisham Council area which includes a number of recruitment agencies keen to help local people find employment.
The agencies are located in a borough which has a population of 275,000. Lewisham Council is the largest employer in the area with a total of 8,500 members of staff. Almost half of these employees - 4,000 - work in the council's 95 schools.
A further 6,500 people who work locally are also public sector employees. These employers include the Metropolitan Police, the NHS including Lewisham Hospital, Lewisham College and Goldsmiths, a campus of the University of London.
Employment in the private sector is mainly provided by small and medium sized businesses. However, a small number of large retail businesses also provide jobs in the Catford area as well as some medium sized office supply companies.
Regeneration plans for Catford are likely to create more employment opportunities in the area with the redevelopment of the shopping centre and the provision of a new Tesco store.
However, most economically active members of the community - around 70 per cent - work mainly in central London, which is easily accessed by frequent rail and bus services.
AgencyCentral lists 69 popular industries and categorise recruitment agencies based on what they cover, so you can easily and quickly find the ones which are most helpful to you.
TAG Recruitment places candidates in permanent, contract, and temporary roles across London, Kent, Bromley, Canterbury, Middlesex, Buckinghamshire, and West Sussex. From their London offices, they help fill vacancies for clients in a wide variety of IT and Technology divisions, including AV, Web Development, Peoplesoft, CRM, and IT Support. Founded in 2007, they recruit candidates for roles at all levels.
102 Southend Lane, Catford, London, SE6 3DW
At Always Healthcare Recruitment Agency, we are committed to ensuring a holistic, caring, and customer-centred approach is a priority in our relationship with clients. We have a reliable, trained, and trusted workforce. We provide healthcare services throughout London and the South East. We have been operating since 2017, and we are CQC registered. We pride ourselves on the positive feedback from clients.
Capital House, 43-47 Rushey Green, Catford, London, SE6 4AS
Catford has a mixed job market that draws on retail, health, education, logistics, and light trades, with steady demand from Lewisham town centre and nearby retail corridors on Rushey Green and Bromley Road. The area benefits from the A205 South Circular, Catford and Catford Bridge stations, and short links to Ladywell, Hither Green, Bellingham, and Downham. Recruitment agencies and staffing agencies cover frontline teams and back office roles, with recruiters placing both temporary and permanent staff. Employment firms here speak daily with local employers and businesses that want to hire staff quickly, while candidates and jobseekers value short travel times and decent public transport.
Retail and customer service roles cluster around Catford town centre and the South Circular, with warehouse and last-mile logistics found on nearby industrial stretches. Healthcare hiring stays lively across community care and hospital support, with education support roles linked to schools across the borough. Trades and maintenance work appears through housing repairs and local contractors, and office admin and finance support follow council services and small firms. Recruitment consultants and temp agencies manage peaks, and executive search partners handle senior leadership for public services and growth SMEs.
Lewisham Council is a major source of office, housing, and environmental services roles, and University Hospital Lewisham feeds consistent demand for clinical support and non-clinical teams. Retail anchors and supermarkets along Rushey Green bring steady hiring for supervisors and store teams. Independent care providers, schools, and academies add a stream of teaching assistants, SEN support, and site staff. Many residents also pick up work in central Lewisham, Greenwich, and Canary Wharf, so agencies in Catford often fill vacancies that value a short commute and quick starts.
Entry retail and hospitality roles often sit near local market rates with weekend uplifts, care assistants and teaching assistants track the wider South East bandings, and drivers and warehouse roles vary with shifts and licences. Office support runs from junior administrators up to senior coordinators, with increases for Excel skills or finance duties. Skilled trades command higher pay rates for urgent maintenance or out of hours work. Day rates for contractors reflect experience and compliance, and recruitment fees and agency costs depend on role scarcity, warranty terms, and service level. Employers planning to find employees fast can talk through fee models in advance, while candidates should ask about pay rates, holiday accrual, and benefits.
DBS checks are common for healthcare, education, and housing support, with enhanced checks for roles in regulated settings. Drivers may need a clean licence and, where relevant, CPC. CSCS helps for site access, and manual handling or first aid can support applications in care, warehousing, and facilities. Proof of right to work and basic address history remain standard. Executive search briefs may request professional memberships for finance, HR, or estates roles.
College provision and adult learning across Lewisham offer short courses in digital skills, English and maths, care certificates, and construction tickets. Recruiters can guide candidates toward quick certificates that lift pay, like forklift, food hygiene, or paediatric first aid, and employers often sponsor refreshers to support retention. Graduates and career changers can enter office roles through temp to perm routes that build experience and references.
Catford Bridge links to London Bridge and Charing Cross, and Catford station links to Blackfriars and St Pancras, which keeps hybrid teams flexible. Buses along the A205 connect Ladywell, Lewisham, Bromley, and Forest Hill. Many blue-collar shifts start early, so agencies will check first and last trains, and plan rotas that fit. Short bike or bus hops make same day coverage realistic for urgent shifts and weekend trade.
Temporary work covers store cover, warehouse peaks, drivers, reception, caretaking, and classroom support. Permanent hiring runs through supervisors, coordinators, qualified trades, housing officers, and office specialists. Contract work appears in IT support, project roles, and estates. Employers use temp agencies for fast cover or try before hire, and recruitment agencies shape shortlists for perm hires to control recruitment fees and time to fill. Candidates who register with an agency can move from temporary into permanent once teams settle, which helps workforce retention.
Where are most vacancies posted in Catford?
Town centre retail, community care, schools, and logistics corridors generate frequent listings, with public sector roles spread across the borough.
How can local employers hire staff quickly?
Share a clear brief, confirm pay ranges and hours, and agree vetting steps so recruiters can book interviews within days.
Do agencies support executive search in Catford?
Senior roles in public services and growing SMEs are handled by executive search partners who run discreet campaigns.
What contract types are common?
Temporary, permanent, and contract work all feature, with rota work for peak seasons and fixed term options for projects.
What should candidates prepare before they register with an agency?
Bring right to work documents, references, any licences, and be ready to discuss shifts, locations, and salary goals.
How do agency costs vary for employers?
Recruitment fees depend on role level and scarcity, pay rates and margins vary for temp cover, and rebates depend on terms agreed.