We are at the halfway point in the year, and that means we have the stats for this year in recruitment and what it is looking like.
The market is not booming now because of external economic factors. The job market hasn't flattened either, though. There has been a decrease, yes, that is undeniable, but the overall view is that it is on a steady uptick and should improve in the second half of the year.
The numbers
Here are the numbers at the halfway point in the year: vacancies are at 711,000 in the UK, down from 1.3 million in 2022, and unemployment has risen, going from 4.8% to 4.9%. So there is a definite slowing down in recruitment over the last few years.
Demand isn't disappearing; it's shifting. The worst thing you can do is take the market as a uniform thing. There are lots of jobs that people are unaware of that aren't meant to be advertised, and these figures are also across the board and very generalised. If you split the market into sectors, there are huge differences in demand. Care and nursing roles are still growing, logistics has picked up, and cybersecurity and data roles are holding steady. Retail and small businesses have taken the biggest hit.
What this means for you
With the rise in the national living wage, employers are facing longer hiring processes than ever before, and many are delaying pay rises just to manage the extra cost. That caution shows up all the way down the pipeline: more screening, longer waits between application and offer, and less willingness to move fast on a hire that isn't a clear fit.
For candidates, that means the roles are still there, but so is more competition for each one. Making yourself easy to screen, having a CV that shows fit quickly, and applying fast when a role goes live all matter more than they did a couple of years ago. Hybrid and flexible working are still common, but check the fine print, as more employers are tightening in-office requirements.
For employers, it means budgeting properly for the process. Longer pipelines and pickier candidates aren't a sign something's wrong; they're just how the market works right now. Being transparent about salary is one of the easiest ways to stand out, since fewer employers are doing it. And retention matters more than ever; replacing a hire who leaves early costs more than it used to.
The second half of 2026 isn't about a market that's booming or one that's falling apart. It's a market that rewards paying attention to your own sector rather than reacting to national headlines, and being ready to move when the right role or candidate comes along.
If you are job hunting the second half of the 2026, contact Lets Recruit for a helping hand.
Tel: 0333 577 7157
Email: hello@letsrecruit.co.uk
