2. Equal Rights
3. Labor Standards
4. Private Employment Agencies and Home Care Workers

Private Employment Agents and Home Care Workers

The Equal Rights Division regulates private employment agencies in the State of Wisconsin. In particular:

• Employment agencies that charge fees to the business seeking workers must register with us. This involves completion of a short Registration Form and the payment of a $5 registration fee annually.
• Employment agencies that charge fees to the applicant seeking work must be licensed by us. This involves completion of a longer Employment Agent's License Form, maintenance of a bond, inspection of the agency's premises, and an investigation of the character and fitness of the licensed principal.
• Employment agencies that charge fees to both businesses seeking workers and applicants seeking work must be licensed AND registered.

Who is an Employment Agent?

The regulation of employment agents in Wisconsin does NOT extend to temporary help agencies.

Definition of Employment Agent

"Employment Agent" is defined at Wis. Stat. § 105.01 as: all persons who furnish to persons seeking employment, information enabling or tending to enable such persons to secure the same, or who furnish employers seeking laborers or other help of any kind, information enabling or tending to enable such employers to secure such help, or who keep a register of persons seeking employment or help as aforesaid, whether such agents conduct their operations at a fixed place of business, on the streets or as transients, and also whether such operations constitute the principal business of such agents or only a sideline or an incident to another business.

Employment Agent Forms

• Employment Agent's Registration
• Initial Application - Employment Agent's License
• Renewal Application - Employment Agent's License

List of Licensed Private Employment Agents

Information for Home Care Workers

Private employment agencies who make "home care placements" are required to provide the following information, in writing, to home care workers and home care consumers:

• who will be employing the worker,
• who will be responsible for withholding employment taxes,
• and who will be responsible for providing workers' compensation, unemployment Insurance, and other liability insurance for the worker, if applicable

For more information

• Contact Info
• Wisconsin Statutes Section 105.115
• Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter DWD 277
• Home Care Worker Notice (ERD-15614-E)
• Home Care Consumer Notice (ERD-15615-E)