UK Hiring Report 2026: Full Jobs Market Data, Statistics & Trends<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The complete UK Hiring Report 2026: vacancy data, employment rate, sector-by-sector demand, AI adoption in recruitment, salary trends and regional breakdowns, sourced from ONS, REC, CIPD, Adzuna and Hays.\"\/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\/uk-hiring-report-2026\/\"\/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UK Hiring Report 2026: Full Jobs Market Data, Statistics & Trends\"\/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Vacancy data, employment rate, sector demand, AI adoption, salary trends and regional breakdowns for the UK job market in 2026.\"\/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"\/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\/images\/uk-hiring-report-2026-og.jpg\"\/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\"\/>\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"Article\",\n \"headline\": \"UK Hiring Report 2026: Full Jobs Market Data, Statistics & Trends\",\n \"description\": \"A complete breakdown of UK hiring data for 2026, including vacancy trends, employment rate, sector demand, AI adoption in recruitment, salary growth and regional hiring patterns.\",\n \"datePublished\": \"2026-07-20\",\n \"dateModified\": \"2026-07-20\",\n \"author\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"eJobSiteSoftware\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\"\n },\n \"publisher\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"eJobSiteSoftware\",\n \"logo\": {\n \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\/images\/logo.png\"\n }\n },\n \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\/uk-hiring-report-2026\/\"\n },\n \"image\": \"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\/images\/uk-hiring-report-2026-og.jpg\"\n}\n<\/script>\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"Dataset\",\n \"name\": \"UK Hiring Report Data 2026\",\n \"description\": \"Aggregated UK labour market and hiring statistics for 2026, including job vacancies, employment rate, unemployment rate, wage growth and sector-level demand, compiled from ONS, REC, CIPD, Adzuna and Hays sources.\",\n \"keywords\": [\"UK hiring report 2026\", \"UK job market statistics\", \"UK vacancies 2026\", \"UK recruitment trends\", \"UK employment rate 2026\"],\n \"temporalCoverage\": \"2026\",\n \"spatialCoverage\": {\n \"@type\": \"Place\",\n \"name\": \"United Kingdom\"\n },\n \"creator\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"eJobSiteSoftware\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\"\n },\n \"distribution\": {\n \"@type\": \"DataDownload\",\n \"encodingFormat\": \"text\/html\",\n \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\/uk-hiring-report-2026\/\"\n },\n \"variableMeasured\": [\"Job vacancies\", \"Employment rate\", \"Unemployment rate\", \"Wage growth\", \"Sector hiring demand\", \"AI adoption in recruitment\"]\n}\n<\/script>\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n \"itemListElement\": [\n { \"@type\": \"ListItem\", \"position\": 1, \"name\": \"Home\", \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\/\" },\n { \"@type\": \"ListItem\", \"position\": 2, \"name\": \"Resources\", \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\/resources\/\" },\n { \"@type\": \"ListItem\", \"position\": 3, \"name\": \"UK Hiring Report 2026\", \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\/uk-hiring-report-2026\/\" }\n ]\n}\n<\/script>\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n \"mainEntity\": [\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"How many job vacancies are there in the UK in 2026?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"UK job vacancies were estimated at around 707,000 for March to May 2026 according to the ONS, the lowest level since early 2021. Adzuna's independent index recorded a partial rebound to roughly 752,700 in March 2026, so figures vary depending on the source and the exact month measured.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"What is the UK employment rate in 2026?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"The UK employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 stood at 75.0% in the February to April 2026 period, according to ONS Labour Force Survey estimates, broadly flat on the previous quarter.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"Is the UK job market currently a hiring or a firing market?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"2026 is widely described as a low-hiring, low-firing market. Employers are cautious about opening new roles but are not making large-scale redundancies either, so job-to-job moves and new postings remain well below pre-pandemic and 2022 peak levels.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"How is AI affecting recruitment and hiring in the UK in 2026?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"Around three-quarters of UK employers now use AI tools somewhere in their recruitment process, most commonly for writing job ads, sourcing candidates and screening CVs. Roughly one in six employers expect AI to reduce headcount over the next 12 months, while graduate and entry-level hiring has been hit hardest as AI absorbs routine tasks.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"Which sectors are hiring the most in the UK in 2026?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"Technology, engineering, manufacturing, healthcare and renewable energy show the strongest sustained demand. Within tech, AI, cybersecurity and cloud engineering roles are growing fastest, while entry-level and graduate vacancies have declined sharply.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"What is wage growth like in the UK in 2026?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"Total employee earnings including bonuses grew by around 4.1% year-on-year in the three months to March 2026, according to ONS data. This is a modest improvement on late-2025 figures but remains one of the weaker growth rates recorded since the pandemic, as wage growth gradually eases from its post-pandemic peak.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"Where does UK hiring data come from?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"The most reliable UK hiring data comes from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Labour Market Overview, the REC\/KPMG Labour Market Tracker, the CIPD Labour Market Outlook, and job board indices such as Adzuna and Indeed Hiring Lab, which track live vacancy postings in near real time.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"Is now a good time to launch a recruitment website or job board in the UK?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"A cautious hiring market increases competition for every vacancy, which raises the value of tools that help employers reach qualified candidates efficiently and help job seekers stand out. Niche and regional job boards, and CRM-driven recruitment agencies, tend to perform well in exactly this kind of tighter labour market.\"\n }\n }\n ]\n}\n<\/script>\n<\/head>\n\n<body data-rsssl=1 style=\"background-color:#ffffff; color:#1a1a1a; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:16px; line-height:1.7; margin:0; padding:0;\">\n\n<div style=\"max-width:960px; margin:0 auto; padding:40px 20px;\">\n\n <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" style=\"font-size:14px; color:#666; margin-bottom:20px;\">\n Home \u203a Resources \u203a UK Hiring Report 2026\n <\/nav>\n <p style=\"color:#555; font-size:15px; margin-bottom:30px;\">Last updated: 20 July 2026 | Sources: ONS, REC\/KPMG, CIPD, Adzuna, Indeed Hiring Lab, Hays<\/p>\n <p>The UK hiring market in 2026 is best described as <strong>cautious but not collapsing<\/strong>. Vacancies have fallen to their lowest level since early 2021, employment has held broadly steady at 75%, and AI has moved from talking point to daily tool inside most recruitment teams. This report pulls together the latest verified UK hiring report data for 2026 from the Office for National Statistics, the REC\/KPMG Labour Market Tracker, the CIPD Labour Market Outlook, and independent job board indices, so you have one place to check the real numbers.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">UK Hiring Report 2026: Key Numbers at a Glance<\/h2>\n <table style=\"width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:20px 0; font-size:15px;\">\n <thead>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#f5f5f5; text-align:left;\">\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Metric<\/th>\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">2026 Figure<\/th>\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Period<\/th>\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Source<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n <tbody>\n <tr>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Employment rate (16\u201364)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">75.0%<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Feb\u2013Apr 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Unemployment rate<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">4.9%<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Dec 2025\u2013Feb 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Job vacancies (ONS estimate)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">~707,000<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Mar\u2013May 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Job vacancies (Adzuna index)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">~752,700<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">March 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Adzuna<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Workforce jobs (total)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">36.8 million<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">March 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Earnings growth (incl. bonuses)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">4.1% YoY<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">3 months to Mar 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Unemployed people per vacancy<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">~2.5<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Early 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS-derived<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Employers using AI in hiring<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">~75%<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">CIPD<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Graduate vacancies YoY change<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">?45%<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Early 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">BCC \/ industry data<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Bank of England base rate<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">4.0%<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">2026 (down from 5.25% peak)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Bank of England<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n <p style=\"font-size:13px; color:#777;\">Figures are drawn from the most recent releases available as of July 2026 and are subject to routine statistical revision. Where sources disagree, the report notes both figures rather than picking one.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">1. Vacancies: A Cooling but Not Collapsing Market<\/h2>\n <p>UK job vacancies totalled around 711,000 for the January to March 2026 period, a quarterly drop that left them at the lowest level since early 2021 and roughly 54% below the mid-2022 peak of over 1.3 million. Early estimates for March to May 2026 suggest a further decrease to around 707,000. The decline has been broad-based rather than concentrated in one industry, and smaller employers have pulled back hardest, since firms with 1\u20139 staff hire in closer response to immediate revenue conditions.<\/p>\n <p>Not every index tells the same story, however. Adzuna’s own count showed UK job vacancies rising 3.74% month-on-month to roughly 752,700 in March 2026, its second consecutive monthly increase after an extended decline. The gap between data sources is a genuine feature of 2026 reporting: different methodologies (live postings vs. survey-based estimates) are picking up slightly different signals in a market that is bumping along a bottom rather than moving cleanly in one direction.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">2. Employment, Unemployment and Wage Growth<\/h2>\n <p>The UK employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 was estimated at 75.0% in the February to April 2026 period. Unemployment sat at 4.9% in the quarter to February 2026, up year-on-year, with roughly 2.5 unemployed people for every open vacancy \u2014 a sharp contrast with mid-2022, when vacancies actually outnumbered unemployed jobseekers.<\/p>\n <p>Pay growth has been easing rather than reversing: total employee earnings including bonuses rose 4.1% year-on-year in the three months to March 2026, a modest improvement on the 3.9% recorded the previous period, but still one of the weakest growth rates since the pandemic. Private sector pay growth ticked up to 3.9% while public sector earnings growth eased to 4.9% from 5.2%.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">3. Where the Hiring Demand Actually Is<\/h2>\n <p>Growth has concentrated in specific pockets even while headline vacancy numbers fall: IT, engineering, technology, digital and finance roles have shown signs of bouncing back, alongside temporary and contract growth in marketing, sales and delivery roles. Employers preparing for growth through 2026 are concentrated in engineering, manufacturing, technology and renewable energy, with many businesses now investing in longer-term workforce planning rather than reactive hiring.<\/p>\n <p>The talent gap is most acute in technology: roughly three in four employers seeking tech talent report skills shortages, with software engineers, data scientists and cybersecurity professionals the hardest roles to fill. AI-related job postings are growing at more than three times the average rate across the wider market, and generative AI engineering, cloud security and MLOps roles are commanding premium salaries as demand outstrips supply.<\/p>\n <p>At the other end of the market, the picture is much harder. Graduate roles are down around 45% year-on-year, each vacancy now attracts hundreds of applications, and one recruitment executive described 2026 as the longest hiring downturn in the industry’s history \u2014 longer than the financial crisis and longer than the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">4. AI’s Growing Role in UK Recruitment<\/h2>\n <p>Employers in three-quarters of UK organisations are now using AI tools somewhere in their hiring process. Common use cases include writing job adverts, sourcing candidates, screening CVs and supporting interview decisions. Opinion is split on what this means for headcount: around half of employers expect AI to make no difference to headcount over the next 12 months, while 17% expect AI tools to reduce headcount in that period. Separately, the CIPD found that one in six UK employers now expect AI to shrink their workforce over the next twelve months, with the risk concentrated at larger private sector firms, and around 38% of employers say they plan to hire fewer graduates specifically because of AI.<\/p>\n <p>Regulatory scrutiny is catching up. An ICO review published in March 2026, based on evidence gathered from over thirty employers, found that many organisations believed their AI recruitment tools were only supporting human decisions, when in practice the tools were making fully automated decisions without meaningful human review. Any recruitment platform or job board built in 2026 needs to treat AI screening as a compliance question, not just a productivity feature.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">5. Hiring Sentiment: Cautious, Not Pessimistic<\/h2>\n <p>Employers are best described as cautious rather than pessimistic: job postings remain around 19% below pre-pandemic levels even though hiring demand has been comparatively stable in recent months, wage growth remains firm but is easing from its peak, and salary transparency has dipped slightly after several years of steady growth. Employers have also started trimming advertised benefits, which likely reflects the cost pressures many businesses are working under.<\/p>\n <p>Flexibility remains widely valued and hybrid work offerings are still common, though employers are attaching stricter in-office requirements to those roles, and interest from overseas candidates in UK jobs has softened under tighter immigration rules, remaining concentrated in higher-paid occupations. Job-to-job moves totalled around 708,000 in the third quarter of the period measured, down almost 30% from the late-2021 post-pandemic peak, although the data here comes with some question marks over its accuracy.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">Sector Hiring Demand Explorer<\/h2>\n <p>Use the toggle below to see how hiring demand and typical drivers differ across the sectors most active in 2026.<\/p>\n\n <div style=\"border:1px solid #ddd; border-radius:8px; padding:20px; margin:20px 0; background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <div id=\"sectorTabs\" style=\"display:flex; flex-wrap:wrap; gap:8px; margin-bottom:16px;\"><\/div>\n <div id=\"sectorDetail\" style=\"font-size:15px;\"><\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">UK Hiring Report 2026: Regional Snapshot<\/h2>\n <table style=\"width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:20px 0; font-size:15px;\">\n <thead>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#f5f5f5; text-align:left;\">\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Region<\/th>\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">2026 Hiring Signal<\/th>\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Strongest Sectors<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n <tbody>\n <tr><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">London<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Permanent placements rising at fastest rate in 3.5+ years<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Finance, professional services, tech<\/td><\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\"><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">South West<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Regional growth hub emerging<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Environmental & marine tech, engineering<\/td><\/tr>\n <tr><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">North & Midlands<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Stable to cautious<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Manufacturing, logistics, healthcare<\/td><\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\"><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Scotland<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Renewable energy driving demand<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Renewables, energy engineering<\/td><\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n <div id=\"faqAccordion\"><\/div>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">Sources & Further Resources<\/h2>\n <ul style=\"font-size:15px;\">\n <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/employmentandlabourmarket\/peopleinwork\/employmentandemployeetypes\/bulletins\/uklabourmarket\/june2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ONS Labour Market Overview, UK<\/a><\/li>\n <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/job-market-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adzuna UK Job Market Report<\/a><\/li>\n <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiringlab.org\/uk\/blog\/2025\/12\/09\/indeed-2026-uk-jobs-hiring-trends-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Indeed Hiring Lab: 2026 UK Jobs & Hiring Trends Report<\/a><\/li>\n <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peoplemanagement.co.uk\/article\/1943835\/2026-labour-market-trends-hiring-slowdown-ai-disruption\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CIPD-sourced 2026 labour market trends analysis<\/a><\/li>\n <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hays.co.uk\/market-insights\/article\/top-hiring-trends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hays: The Future of Hiring in 2026<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <div style=\"margin-top:50px; padding:28px; border-radius:10px; background-color:#f0f6ff; border:1px solid #d6e4f7;\">\n <h2 style=\"font-size:22px; margin-top:0; color:#111;\">Hiring in a Tighter Market Takes Better Tools, Not Just More Effort<\/h2>\n <p style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\">With almost 2.5 candidates for every vacancy, employers who reach the right people fastest win the best hires. eJobSiteSoftware helps you launch a fully branded job board or recruitment platform so you can source, screen and place candidates without relying on generic job boards.<\/p>\n <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\/\" style=\"display:inline-block; background-color:#1a56db; color:#ffffff; padding:12px 24px; border-radius:6px; text-decoration:none; font-weight:600;\">Explore eJobSiteSoftware<\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n var sectors = [\n { name: \"Technology\", demand: \"Very High\", detail: \"AI-related postings growing over 3x faster than the market average. Cybersecurity, cloud engineering and MLOps roles command premium salaries, with around three in four tech employers reporting skills shortages.\" },\n { name: \"Engineering & Manufacturing\", demand: \"High\", detail: \"Long-term workforce planning is replacing reactive hiring. Renewable energy and clean-tech projects are opening new demand for engineers and data specialists.\" },\n { name: \"Healthcare\", demand: \"High\", detail: \"Structural shortages persist despite the broader hiring slowdown, keeping healthcare among the more resilient sectors for vacancies.\" },\n { name: \"Finance & Professional Services\", demand: \"Moderate-High\", detail: \"London permanent placements have been rising at their fastest rate in over three and a half years, with strengthening demand for permanent staff.\" },\n { name: \"Retail, Sales & Delivery\", demand: \"Moderate\", detail: \"Growth is concentrated in temporary and contract roles rather than permanent headcount, reflecting employer caution about committing to fixed costs.\" },\n { name: \"Graduate & Entry-Level\", demand: \"Low\", detail: \"Vacancies down roughly 45% year-on-year, with hundreds of applicants per role as AI absorbs routine tasks traditionally used to train junior staff.\" }\n ];\n\n var tabsEl = document.getElementById('sectorTabs');\n var detailEl = document.getElementById('sectorDetail');\n\n function renderDetail(i) {\n var s = sectors[i];\n detailEl.innerHTML = '<strong>' + s.name + '<\/strong> \u2014 Demand: ' + s.demand + '<br \/><span style=\"color:#444;\">' + s.detail + '<\/span>';\n Array.prototype.forEach.call(tabsEl.children, function(btn, idx) {\n btn.style.backgroundColor = idx === i ? '#1a56db' : '#ffffff';\n btn.style.color = idx === i ? '#ffffff' : '#1a1a1a';\n });\n }\n\n sectors.forEach(function(s, i) {\n var btn = document.createElement('button');\n btn.textContent = s.name;\n btn.style.cssText = 'padding:8px 14px; border:1px solid #1a56db; border-radius:20px; background-color:#ffffff; color:#1a1a1a; font-size:13px; cursor:pointer;';\n btn.addEventListener('click', function() { renderDetail(i); });\n tabsEl.appendChild(btn);\n });\n renderDetail(0);\n\n var faqs = [\n { q: \"How many job vacancies are there in the UK in 2026?\", a: \"UK job vacancies were estimated at around 707,000 for March to May 2026 according to the ONS, the lowest level since early 2021. Adzuna's independent index recorded a partial rebound to roughly 752,700 in March 2026, so figures vary depending on the source and the exact month measured.\" },\n { q: \"What is the UK employment rate in 2026?\", a: \"The UK employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 stood at 75.0% in the February to April 2026 period, according to ONS Labour Force Survey estimates, broadly flat on the previous quarter.\" },\n { q: \"Is the UK job market currently a hiring or a firing market?\", a: \"2026 is widely described as a low-hiring, low-firing market. Employers are cautious about opening new roles but are not making large-scale redundancies either, so job-to-job moves and new postings remain well below pre-pandemic and 2022 peak levels.\" },\n { q: \"How is AI affecting recruitment and hiring in the UK in 2026?\", a: \"Around three-quarters of UK employers now use AI tools somewhere in their recruitment process, most commonly for writing job ads, sourcing candidates and screening CVs. Roughly one in six employers expect AI to reduce headcount over the next 12 months, while graduate and entry-level hiring has been hit hardest as AI absorbs routine tasks.\" },\n { q: \"Which sectors are hiring the most in the UK in 2026?\", a: \"Technology, engineering, manufacturing, healthcare and renewable energy show the strongest sustained demand. Within tech, AI, cybersecurity and cloud engineering roles are growing fastest, while entry-level and graduate vacancies have declined sharply.\" },\n { q: \"What is wage growth like in the UK in 2026?\", a: \"Total employee earnings including bonuses grew by around 4.1% year-on-year in the three months to March 2026, according to ONS data. This is a modest improvement on late-2025 figures but remains one of the weaker growth rates recorded since the pandemic.\" },\n { q: \"Where does UK hiring data come from?\", a: \"The most reliable UK hiring data comes from the ONS Labour Market Overview, the REC\/KPMG Labour Market Tracker, the CIPD Labour Market Outlook, and job board indices such as Adzuna and Indeed Hiring Lab, which track live vacancy postings in near real time.\" },\n { q: \"Is now a good time to launch a recruitment website or job board in the UK?\", a: \"A cautious hiring market increases competition for every vacancy, which raises the value of tools that help employers reach qualified candidates efficiently. 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Vacancies have fallen to their lowest level […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[660],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hiring"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ejobsitesoftware.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/UK-Hiring-Report-2026-Full-Jobs-Market-Data-Statistics-Trends.jpg?fit=1480%2C1026&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4vlXG-141","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4090,"url":"https:\/\/ejobsitesoftware.com\/blog\/us-hiring-data-2026-the-complete-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":4093,"position":0},"title":"US Hiring Data 2026: The Complete Report","author":"Robert Smith","date":"July 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"US Hiring Data 2026: Job Openings, Time-to-Hire, AI Adoption & Trends | HireGen US Labor Market Report Job openings, hiring rate, cost-per-hire, time-to-hire, AI recruiting adoption, and remote work share \u2014 every figure sourced from the BLS, SHRM, and named industry benchmarking reports. 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Adzuna's independent index recorded a partial rebound to roughly 752,700 in March 2026, so figures vary depending on the source and the exact month measured.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"What is the UK employment rate in 2026?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"The UK employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 stood at 75.0% in the February to April 2026 period, according to ONS Labour Force Survey estimates, broadly flat on the previous quarter.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"Is the UK job market currently a hiring or a firing market?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"2026 is widely described as a low-hiring, low-firing market. 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Within tech, AI, cybersecurity and cloud engineering roles are growing fastest, while entry-level and graduate vacancies have declined sharply.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"What is wage growth like in the UK in 2026?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"Total employee earnings including bonuses grew by around 4.1% year-on-year in the three months to March 2026, according to ONS data. This is a modest improvement on late-2025 figures but remains one of the weaker growth rates recorded since the pandemic, as wage growth gradually eases from its post-pandemic peak.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"Where does UK hiring data come from?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"The most reliable UK hiring data comes from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Labour Market Overview, the REC\/KPMG Labour Market Tracker, the CIPD Labour Market Outlook, and job board indices such as Adzuna and Indeed Hiring Lab, which track live vacancy postings in near real time.\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Question\",\n \"name\": \"Is now a good time to launch a recruitment website or job board in the UK?\",\n \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n \"text\": \"A cautious hiring market increases competition for every vacancy, which raises the value of tools that help employers reach qualified candidates efficiently and help job seekers stand out. Niche and regional job boards, and CRM-driven recruitment agencies, tend to perform well in exactly this kind of tighter labour market.\"\n }\n }\n ]\n}\n<\/script>\n<\/head>\n\n<body data-rsssl=1 style=\"background-color:#ffffff; color:#1a1a1a; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:16px; line-height:1.7; margin:0; padding:0;\">\n\n<div style=\"max-width:960px; margin:0 auto; padding:40px 20px;\">\n\n <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" style=\"font-size:14px; color:#666; margin-bottom:20px;\">\n Home \u203a Resources \u203a UK Hiring Report 2026\n <\/nav>\n <p style=\"color:#555; font-size:15px; margin-bottom:30px;\">Last updated: 20 July 2026 | Sources: ONS, REC\/KPMG, CIPD, Adzuna, Indeed Hiring Lab, Hays<\/p>\n <p>The UK hiring market in 2026 is best described as <strong>cautious but not collapsing<\/strong>. Vacancies have fallen to their lowest level since early 2021, employment has held broadly steady at 75%, and AI has moved from talking point to daily tool inside most recruitment teams. This report pulls together the latest verified UK hiring report data for 2026 from the Office for National Statistics, the REC\/KPMG Labour Market Tracker, the CIPD Labour Market Outlook, and independent job board indices, so you have one place to check the real numbers.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">UK Hiring Report 2026: Key Numbers at a Glance<\/h2>\n <table style=\"width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:20px 0; font-size:15px;\">\n <thead>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#f5f5f5; text-align:left;\">\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Metric<\/th>\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">2026 Figure<\/th>\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Period<\/th>\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Source<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n <tbody>\n <tr>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Employment rate (16\u201364)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">75.0%<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Feb\u2013Apr 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Unemployment rate<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">4.9%<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Dec 2025\u2013Feb 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Job vacancies (ONS estimate)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">~707,000<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Mar\u2013May 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Job vacancies (Adzuna index)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">~752,700<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">March 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Adzuna<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Workforce jobs (total)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">36.8 million<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">March 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Earnings growth (incl. bonuses)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">4.1% YoY<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">3 months to Mar 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Unemployed people per vacancy<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">~2.5<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Early 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">ONS-derived<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Employers using AI in hiring<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">~75%<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">CIPD<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Graduate vacancies YoY change<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">?45%<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Early 2026<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">BCC \/ industry data<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Bank of England base rate<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">4.0%<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">2026 (down from 5.25% peak)<\/td>\n <td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Bank of England<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n <p style=\"font-size:13px; color:#777;\">Figures are drawn from the most recent releases available as of July 2026 and are subject to routine statistical revision. Where sources disagree, the report notes both figures rather than picking one.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">1. Vacancies: A Cooling but Not Collapsing Market<\/h2>\n <p>UK job vacancies totalled around 711,000 for the January to March 2026 period, a quarterly drop that left them at the lowest level since early 2021 and roughly 54% below the mid-2022 peak of over 1.3 million. Early estimates for March to May 2026 suggest a further decrease to around 707,000. The decline has been broad-based rather than concentrated in one industry, and smaller employers have pulled back hardest, since firms with 1\u20139 staff hire in closer response to immediate revenue conditions.<\/p>\n <p>Not every index tells the same story, however. Adzuna’s own count showed UK job vacancies rising 3.74% month-on-month to roughly 752,700 in March 2026, its second consecutive monthly increase after an extended decline. The gap between data sources is a genuine feature of 2026 reporting: different methodologies (live postings vs. survey-based estimates) are picking up slightly different signals in a market that is bumping along a bottom rather than moving cleanly in one direction.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">2. Employment, Unemployment and Wage Growth<\/h2>\n <p>The UK employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 was estimated at 75.0% in the February to April 2026 period. Unemployment sat at 4.9% in the quarter to February 2026, up year-on-year, with roughly 2.5 unemployed people for every open vacancy \u2014 a sharp contrast with mid-2022, when vacancies actually outnumbered unemployed jobseekers.<\/p>\n <p>Pay growth has been easing rather than reversing: total employee earnings including bonuses rose 4.1% year-on-year in the three months to March 2026, a modest improvement on the 3.9% recorded the previous period, but still one of the weakest growth rates since the pandemic. Private sector pay growth ticked up to 3.9% while public sector earnings growth eased to 4.9% from 5.2%.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">3. Where the Hiring Demand Actually Is<\/h2>\n <p>Growth has concentrated in specific pockets even while headline vacancy numbers fall: IT, engineering, technology, digital and finance roles have shown signs of bouncing back, alongside temporary and contract growth in marketing, sales and delivery roles. Employers preparing for growth through 2026 are concentrated in engineering, manufacturing, technology and renewable energy, with many businesses now investing in longer-term workforce planning rather than reactive hiring.<\/p>\n <p>The talent gap is most acute in technology: roughly three in four employers seeking tech talent report skills shortages, with software engineers, data scientists and cybersecurity professionals the hardest roles to fill. AI-related job postings are growing at more than three times the average rate across the wider market, and generative AI engineering, cloud security and MLOps roles are commanding premium salaries as demand outstrips supply.<\/p>\n <p>At the other end of the market, the picture is much harder. Graduate roles are down around 45% year-on-year, each vacancy now attracts hundreds of applications, and one recruitment executive described 2026 as the longest hiring downturn in the industry’s history \u2014 longer than the financial crisis and longer than the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">4. AI’s Growing Role in UK Recruitment<\/h2>\n <p>Employers in three-quarters of UK organisations are now using AI tools somewhere in their hiring process. Common use cases include writing job adverts, sourcing candidates, screening CVs and supporting interview decisions. Opinion is split on what this means for headcount: around half of employers expect AI to make no difference to headcount over the next 12 months, while 17% expect AI tools to reduce headcount in that period. Separately, the CIPD found that one in six UK employers now expect AI to shrink their workforce over the next twelve months, with the risk concentrated at larger private sector firms, and around 38% of employers say they plan to hire fewer graduates specifically because of AI.<\/p>\n <p>Regulatory scrutiny is catching up. An ICO review published in March 2026, based on evidence gathered from over thirty employers, found that many organisations believed their AI recruitment tools were only supporting human decisions, when in practice the tools were making fully automated decisions without meaningful human review. Any recruitment platform or job board built in 2026 needs to treat AI screening as a compliance question, not just a productivity feature.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">5. Hiring Sentiment: Cautious, Not Pessimistic<\/h2>\n <p>Employers are best described as cautious rather than pessimistic: job postings remain around 19% below pre-pandemic levels even though hiring demand has been comparatively stable in recent months, wage growth remains firm but is easing from its peak, and salary transparency has dipped slightly after several years of steady growth. Employers have also started trimming advertised benefits, which likely reflects the cost pressures many businesses are working under.<\/p>\n <p>Flexibility remains widely valued and hybrid work offerings are still common, though employers are attaching stricter in-office requirements to those roles, and interest from overseas candidates in UK jobs has softened under tighter immigration rules, remaining concentrated in higher-paid occupations. Job-to-job moves totalled around 708,000 in the third quarter of the period measured, down almost 30% from the late-2021 post-pandemic peak, although the data here comes with some question marks over its accuracy.<\/p>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">Sector Hiring Demand Explorer<\/h2>\n <p>Use the toggle below to see how hiring demand and typical drivers differ across the sectors most active in 2026.<\/p>\n\n <div style=\"border:1px solid #ddd; border-radius:8px; padding:20px; margin:20px 0; background-color:#fafafa;\">\n <div id=\"sectorTabs\" style=\"display:flex; flex-wrap:wrap; gap:8px; margin-bottom:16px;\"><\/div>\n <div id=\"sectorDetail\" style=\"font-size:15px;\"><\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">UK Hiring Report 2026: Regional Snapshot<\/h2>\n <table style=\"width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; margin:20px 0; font-size:15px;\">\n <thead>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#f5f5f5; text-align:left;\">\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Region<\/th>\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">2026 Hiring Signal<\/th>\n <th style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Strongest Sectors<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n <tbody>\n <tr><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">London<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Permanent placements rising at fastest rate in 3.5+ years<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Finance, professional services, tech<\/td><\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\"><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">South West<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Regional growth hub emerging<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Environmental & marine tech, engineering<\/td><\/tr>\n <tr><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">North & Midlands<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Stable to cautious<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Manufacturing, logistics, healthcare<\/td><\/tr>\n <tr style=\"background-color:#fafafa;\"><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Scotland<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Renewable energy driving demand<\/td><td style=\"padding:12px; border:1px solid #ddd;\">Renewables, energy engineering<\/td><\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n <div id=\"faqAccordion\"><\/div>\n\n <h2 style=\"font-size:24px; margin-top:40px; color:#111;\">Sources & Further Resources<\/h2>\n <ul style=\"font-size:15px;\">\n <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/employmentandlabourmarket\/peopleinwork\/employmentandemployeetypes\/bulletins\/uklabourmarket\/june2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ONS Labour Market Overview, UK<\/a><\/li>\n <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.uk\/job-market-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adzuna UK Job Market Report<\/a><\/li>\n <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiringlab.org\/uk\/blog\/2025\/12\/09\/indeed-2026-uk-jobs-hiring-trends-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Indeed Hiring Lab: 2026 UK Jobs & Hiring Trends Report<\/a><\/li>\n <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peoplemanagement.co.uk\/article\/1943835\/2026-labour-market-trends-hiring-slowdown-ai-disruption\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CIPD-sourced 2026 labour market trends analysis<\/a><\/li>\n <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hays.co.uk\/market-insights\/article\/top-hiring-trends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hays: The Future of Hiring in 2026<\/a><\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <div style=\"margin-top:50px; padding:28px; border-radius:10px; background-color:#f0f6ff; border:1px solid #d6e4f7;\">\n <h2 style=\"font-size:22px; margin-top:0; color:#111;\">Hiring in a Tighter Market Takes Better Tools, Not Just More Effort<\/h2>\n <p style=\"margin-bottom:20px;\">With almost 2.5 candidates for every vacancy, employers who reach the right people fastest win the best hires. eJobSiteSoftware helps you launch a fully branded job board or recruitment platform so you can source, screen and place candidates without relying on generic job boards.<\/p>\n <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ejobsitesoftware.com\/\" style=\"display:inline-block; background-color:#1a56db; color:#ffffff; padding:12px 24px; border-radius:6px; text-decoration:none; font-weight:600;\">Explore eJobSiteSoftware<\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n var sectors = [\n { name: \"Technology\", demand: \"Very High\", detail: \"AI-related postings growing over 3x faster than the market average. Cybersecurity, cloud engineering and MLOps roles command premium salaries, with around three in four tech employers reporting skills shortages.\" },\n { name: \"Engineering & Manufacturing\", demand: \"High\", detail: \"Long-term workforce planning is replacing reactive hiring. Renewable energy and clean-tech projects are opening new demand for engineers and data specialists.\" },\n { name: \"Healthcare\", demand: \"High\", detail: \"Structural shortages persist despite the broader hiring slowdown, keeping healthcare among the more resilient sectors for vacancies.\" },\n { name: \"Finance & Professional Services\", demand: \"Moderate-High\", detail: \"London permanent placements have been rising at their fastest rate in over three and a half years, with strengthening demand for permanent staff.\" },\n { name: \"Retail, Sales & Delivery\", demand: \"Moderate\", detail: \"Growth is concentrated in temporary and contract roles rather than permanent headcount, reflecting employer caution about committing to fixed costs.\" },\n { name: \"Graduate & Entry-Level\", demand: \"Low\", detail: \"Vacancies down roughly 45% year-on-year, with hundreds of applicants per role as AI absorbs routine tasks traditionally used to train junior staff.\" }\n ];\n\n var tabsEl = document.getElementById('sectorTabs');\n var detailEl = document.getElementById('sectorDetail');\n\n function renderDetail(i) {\n var s = sectors[i];\n detailEl.innerHTML = '<strong>' + s.name + '<\/strong> \u2014 Demand: ' + s.demand + '<br \/><span style=\"color:#444;\">' + s.detail + '<\/span>';\n Array.prototype.forEach.call(tabsEl.children, function(btn, idx) {\n btn.style.backgroundColor = idx === i ? 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Adzuna's independent index recorded a partial rebound to roughly 752,700 in March 2026, so figures vary depending on the source and the exact month measured.\" },\n { q: \"What is the UK employment rate in 2026?\", a: \"The UK employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 stood at 75.0% in the February to April 2026 period, according to ONS Labour Force Survey estimates, broadly flat on the previous quarter.\" },\n { q: \"Is the UK job market currently a hiring or a firing market?\", a: \"2026 is widely described as a low-hiring, low-firing market. Employers are cautious about opening new roles but are not making large-scale redundancies either, so job-to-job moves and new postings remain well below pre-pandemic and 2022 peak levels.\" },\n { q: \"How is AI affecting recruitment and hiring in the UK in 2026?\", a: \"Around three-quarters of UK employers now use AI tools somewhere in their recruitment process, most commonly for writing job ads, sourcing candidates and screening CVs. Roughly one in six employers expect AI to reduce headcount over the next 12 months, while graduate and entry-level hiring has been hit hardest as AI absorbs routine tasks.\" },\n { q: \"Which sectors are hiring the most in the UK in 2026?\", a: \"Technology, engineering, manufacturing, healthcare and renewable energy show the strongest sustained demand. Within tech, AI, cybersecurity and cloud engineering roles are growing fastest, while entry-level and graduate vacancies have declined sharply.\" },\n { q: \"What is wage growth like in the UK in 2026?\", a: \"Total employee earnings including bonuses grew by around 4.1% year-on-year in the three months to March 2026, according to ONS data. 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Vacancies have fallen to their lowest level […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[660],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hiring"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ejobsitesoftware.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/UK-Hiring-Report-2026-Full-Jobs-Market-Data-Statistics-Trends.jpg?fit=1480%2C1026&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4vlXG-141","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4090,"url":"https:\/\/ejobsitesoftware.com\/blog\/us-hiring-data-2026-the-complete-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":4093,"position":0},"title":"US Hiring Data 2026: The Complete Report","author":"Robert Smith","date":"July 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"US Hiring Data 2026: Job Openings, Time-to-Hire, AI Adoption & Trends | HireGen US Labor Market Report Job openings, hiring rate, cost-per-hire, time-to-hire, AI recruiting adoption, and remote work share \u2014 every figure sourced from the BLS, SHRM, and named industry benchmarking reports. 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