UK business births: business administration & support
UK business births: business administration & support stood at 7,745 Businesses in Q2 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Business births, deaths and companies table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q1 2017 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Business births, deaths and companies table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business births by industry | |||||||||||
| Business administration and support services | 7,745 | 7,605 | 6,830 | 6,775 | 6,895 | 8,215 | 6,235 | 7,840 | 9,150 | 9,315 | |
| Transportation and storage | 5,210 | 5,690 | 5,640 | 5,195 | 5,130 | 6,420 | 4,895 | 5,270 | 4,940 | 6,340 |
Understanding UK business births: business administration & support
This metric isolates new business formations within the administrative and support service sector across the United Kingdom, including employment agencies, cleaning contractors, security services, and office administration providers. It distinguishes operational support functions from sibling industrial categories like transport or professional consulting. Left out of this count are internal corporate departments that provide support exclusively to a parent company without independent trading status.
When evaluating these figures, analysts should note that many support services scale rapidly with broader economic activity, leading to higher volatility across quarters. Comparing annual data helps eliminate short-term administrative noise caused by tax administration processing backlogs. Avoid confusing these enterprise births with direct employment figures, as a single registered agency birth may supply thousands of temporary workers.
Frequently asked questions
- What activities are grouped under business administration and support?
- Employment agencies, facilities management, security operations, and office rental services.
- Are recruitment agencies included in this category?
- Yes, agencies supplying temporary and permanent staff are a major component of this sector.
- Why do support service births correlate with wider economic shifts?
- Growing firms frequently outsource administrative tasks to newly formed specialist providers.