What Carmichael does

Carmichael Site Services Limited, trading as CarmichaelUK, is a privately held specialist recruitment and labour supply firm focused exclusively on the UK and international civil engineering and construction sector. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Thame, the company supplies professional, technical, trades, and labour workers to infrastructure developers and contractors working on major projects including High Speed 2 (HS2), the Thames Tideway tunnel, and the M27 Smart Motorway. Its underlying technology is a self-service job portal (jobs.carmichaeluk.com) built on a Wix platform, supported by standard corporate social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X) and a structured employee referral programme paying £500 per successful professional/technical placement lasting 12+ weeks. The firm has no proprietary AI, software product, or data assets disclosed in source data.

CarmichaelUK generates revenue through placement fees for permanent and contract recruitment engagements, operating as a professional services provider rather than a technology vendor. Its customer base consists primarily of construction firms, infrastructure developers, and civil engineering contractors requiring workforce solutions across large-scale projects. The business is run sales-led, with direct client engagement as the primary channel, and operations extend across four countries (United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand). Mark Blakey serves as Managing Director, and the company is independently owned with no disclosed parent entity, institutional investors, or equity events in source data. As of the 5 April 2025 gender pay gap reporting snapshot, headcount exceeded 250 employees, with a workforce composition of approximately 90% male / 10% female, reflecting the male-dominated nature of the construction sector it serves.

Name

Carmichael

Legal name

Carmichael Site Services Limited

Website

https://carmichaeluk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CarmichaelUK is a privately held, Thame-headquartered specialist civil engineering recruitment firm supplying professional, technical, trades, and labour workers to construction and infrastructure clients across the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand since 1995.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Recruitment Services

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction & General Labor Staffing (BPACAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Agent of Record (AOR) / Contractor Engagement Services (BPACAGAB)

Keywords

• Civil engineering recruitment
• Construction staffing services
• Trades and labour supply
• Technical workforce hiring
• Infrastructure project staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Recruitment and Labour Supply: CarmichaelUK operates as a specialist civil engineering recruitment company, placing candidates in permanent and contract roles within the UK construction industry. Revenue is generated through placement fees for matching candidates with client projects, with both permanent recruitment and temporary/contract worker supply arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CarmichaelUK is a specialist civil engineering and construction recruitment agency that places candidates in professional, technical, trades, and labour roles on major UK and international infrastructure projects. The company supplies both permanent and temporary/contract workers to construction firms, infrastructure developers, and civil engineering contractors, operating from its UK headquarters with operations spanning four countries.

Product overview

CarmichaelUK is a privately owned civil engineering recruitment company operating in the UK construction industry since 1995. The company operates as a single unified recruitment service offering, specializing in placing candidates across two main categories: Professional & Technical roles (for qualified engineers and technical specialists) and Trades & Labour roles (for manual workers and trade professionals). The company operates nationally and internationally, with operations in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, working on major infrastructure projects such as the M27 Smart Motorway, High Speed 2 (HS2), and Thames Tideway.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional & Technical Recruitment Recruitment services placing qualified engineers, technical specialists, and professional staff into civil engineering and construction roles for infrastructure and construction clients.
• Trades & Labour Recruitment Recruitment services placing manual workers and trade professionals into civil engineering and construction roles, supporting both temporary/contract and permanent staffing needs on infrastructure projects.
• Internal Vacancies Listing of internal job opportunities within CarmichaelUK, published through the company job portal.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• High Speed 2 (HS2)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarmichaelUK supplies workers and recruits staff for the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project, one of the UK's largest infrastructure developments.
• Thames TidewaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarmichaelUK provides recruitment and staffing solutions for the Thames Tideway tunnel project in London, a major civil engineering infrastructure initiative.
• M27 Smart MotorwaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarmichaelUK supplies workers for the M27 Smart Motorway project, providing staffing for this major UK road infrastructure development.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fawkes & Reece: UK specialist construction and civil engineering recruitment agency placing trades, labour and professional staff on infrastructure projects. Closely comparable to Carmichael in vertical focus, candidate profile, and target client base of main contractors on UK infrastructure schemes.
• Ackerman Johnson: UK construction and infrastructure recruitment specialist supplying trades, labour, and professional/technical staff to contractors on major projects. Direct peer to Carmichael in both candidate segments and end-market focus on UK civil engineering.
• Daniel Owen: UK construction recruitment firm with a long-established network across trades, labour, and professional construction roles. Comparable to Carmichael in vertical specialization, geographic concentration in UK, and project-driven placement model.
• Contek Recruitment: UK-based civil engineering and construction recruitment specialist placing candidates on infrastructure and build projects. Direct competitor in the same niche, with overlapping candidate categories and contractor client base.
• Time Recruitment: UK construction and property recruitment agency covering trades, technical, and professional roles for contractors and developers. Comparable in service breadth, vertical focus, and project-led delivery model.
• Skilled Careers: Specialist construction and property recruitment firm in the UK, focusing on permanent and contract placements for the built environment. Direct peer to Carmichael in serving main contractors and developers on UK construction projects.

Broad incumbents

• Hays: Global recruitment leader with a dedicated UK construction and property division placing professionals, trades, and labour. Overlaps Carmichael on the professional/technical and trades side but operates across many other verticals at significantly greater scale.
• Reed: Large UK generalist recruiter with a construction and property desk placing candidates into permanent and contract roles. Comparable service offering across both candidate tiers but as part of a much broader recruitment portfolio.
• Randstad: Global staffing firm with a UK construction, property, and engineering vertical. Overlaps Carmichael in trades/labour and professional technical staffing but is materially larger and competes across multiple industries.
• ManpowerGroup: Global workforce solutions provider with construction and infrastructure staffing capability. Comparable business model in temporary and contract labour supply but operates as a diversified multi-vertical incumbent rather than a construction specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carmichael_uk
• Facebookfacebook.com/carmichaelUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carmichaeluk
• Instagraminstagram.com/carmichaeluk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carmichael