UK Talent Acquisition hiring cools from its October peak
Weekly postings are down 24% from the peak week in mid October, even though the 30-day count is still slightly higher than before.
of open roles are at employers on the UK Home Office sponsor register. Gartner and Cognition are on the list.
UK sponsor register, matched by employeris what the typical role asks for. 6% ask for 10 years or more.
37% of open roles state years113 new roles in the last 30 days, against 110 the 30 days before, at the same companies.
Companies read for 60 days or moreThis week's read
There are 260 open Talent Acquisition roles in the UK right now, spread across 195 employers. The weekly pace has eased since its peak: the week of 12 October saw 33 new roles, the most of any week this autumn, but by the week of 26 October that had fallen to 25. That is a 24% drop from the peak, so if you have felt postings slow down lately, the numbers back that up.
Zoom out to the last 30 days and the picture looks steadier: 113 new roles appeared, against 110 in the 30 days before that, a rise of 3%. So the month as a whole is still slightly ahead, even with the recent weekly dip. Roles also sit open for a median of 23 days before being filled or pulled, which gives you a rough sense of how long a posting usually stays live.
If a visa matters to you, worth knowing that 37% of open roles sit at employers with recent filings on the UK Home Office sponsor register. Among the more visible employers, Gartner and Cognition are both on that list, so they are a reasonable place to start if sponsorship is a must.
Reed is the single biggest poster right now with 10 open roles, but no one company dominates this market: the top 8 employers together hold just 13% of all open roles. That means the job search here is spread thin across many smaller employers rather than concentrated in a few big ones.
Remote work is scarce in this market: only 7% of open roles are listed as remote. If you need to work from home, that narrows your options considerably, so it is worth checking each listing closely rather than assuming flexibility is standard.
What this means for you
Three things you can act on this week
- Expect a slower week to week pace
Weekly postings peaked in mid October and have since fallen 24%. Do not read a quiet week as the whole market drying up, but do not expect the October rush to repeat either.
- Check sponsor status early
37% of open roles sit at employers with recent visa filings on the Home Office register. Gartner and Cognition are both on that list if sponsorship matters to you.
- Look past the biggest names
Reed leads with 10 open roles, but the top 8 employers only hold 13% of all postings. Most of your opportunities will come from employers outside that top tier.
Momentum
New Recruiting roles each week
Last 30 days: 113 new roles, against 110 the 30 days before (+3%). Each week counts the same companies, and a role counts as new only in the week it was posted, so a careers site we start reading never shows up as growth.
See the numbers
| Week starting | New roles |
|---|---|
| 7 Sep | 22 |
| 14 Sep | 27 |
| 21 Sep | 31 |
| 28 Sep | 17 |
| 5 Oct | 32 |
| 12 Oct | 33 |
| 19 Oct | 23 |
| 26 Oct | 25 |
Who is hiring
The companies with the most open Recruiting roles
195 companies are hiring. The top eight hold 13% of the open roles.
| Company | Open roles | Change in new roles | Sponsor register |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reed | 10 | ||
| Finatal | 4 | ||
| Gartner | 4 | On the list | |
| Job&Talent | 4 | ||
| Odgers | 4 | ||
| Acacium Group | 3 | ||
| Bjakcareer | 3 | ||
| Cognition | 3 | On the list |
Change compares new roles in the last 30 days with the 30 days before, shown where a company posted 25 or more in the earlier 30 days. Staffing agencies are left out. A company name links to its Ashney company page where there is one.
What they ask for
The technology Recruiting roles ask for most
Ask Rate is the share of roles that name a skill, from 254 postings read in full. Ways of working (methods such as Agile, tools such as Jira) are listed apart; office tools and soft skills are left out.
Ways of working
Industries named most: Financial services 5%, Professional services 5%, SaaS 4%. Certifications named: CIPD 2%, driver's license 1%. 7% of open roles say they are remote.
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