Recruitment market gains momentum as firms ramp up professional hiring

- Professional hiring increased between Q1 and Q2 despite continued economic uncertainty
- IT vacancies jumped 42% quarter-on-quarter, signalling renewed demand for tech talent
- Manufacturing (+21%), logistics (+6%) and utilities (+6%) were among the few sectors to report year-on-year growth


After months of caution, employers are showing renewed confidence in hiring. That’s according to the latest proprietary job posting data from global talent solutions and business consulting firm, Robert Half.

While economic uncertainty continued to weigh on hiring decisions, Q2 data points to a more resilient recruitment market than at the start of the year. According to the data, professional hiring across core UK sectors increased between Q1 (January to March) and Q2 (April to June), despite annual declines.

IT recorded the sharpest quarterly increase, with vacancies up 42% between Q1 and Q2 2026, despite a 20% year-on-year fall in June. Manufacturing was one of only a handful of sectors to report both quarterly and annual growth. Vacancies increased by 18% between Q1 and Q2 and were also up 21% year-on-year in June, suggesting stronger and more sustained demand for talent across the sector.

Logistics and utilities also reported positive movement on both measures. Logistics vacancies rose by 24% between Q1 and Q2, while utilities increased by 21% over the same period. Both sectors also recorded 6% year-on-year growth in June.

This more positive quarterly performance suggests that confidence is returning in some areas of the market, even as annual comparisons remain subdued.

Phil Boden, Market Director at Robert Half commented:

“While year-on-year vacancy levels remain lower across many professional sectors, the quarterly data points to a more resilient recruitment market than earlier in the year. Employers continue to navigate economic uncertainty, but increased hiring activity across a number of sectors suggests demand for talent remains present where organisations have critical skills needs.

“The rise in IT vacancies during Q2 is particularly notable, although activity remains below last year's levels. Manufacturing, logistics and utilities also recorded stronger demand over the quarter, highlighting continued recruitment activity in sectors that play an important role in supporting day-to-day operations and infrastructure.”

About Robert Half

Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) is the world’s first and largest specialised talent solutions and business consulting firm, connecting highly skilled job seekers with rewarding opportunities at great companies. We offer contract talent and permanent placement solutions in the fields of finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and HR, administrative and customer support, and we also provide executive search services. Robert Half is the parent company of Protiviti®, a global consulting firm that delivers internal audit, risk, business and technology consulting solutions. In the last 12 months, Robert Half has been recognised as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces by Great Place to Work® (GPTW) and, with Protiviti, has been named one of Fortune® Most Admired Companies™. Explore comprehensive talent solutions, research and insights at https://www.roberthalf.com/gb/en

About the research

Role demand insights are based on a Robert Half analysis of over 1,412,331 job postings across the UK from 2024 Q3 – 2026 Q2, provided by Textkernel. This proprietary database includes professional jobs across the finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and HR, administrative and customer support fields.

Steph King
BlueSky PR
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