Hiring intentions at lowest level in nearly 15 years March 8, 2026 British businesses are the most pessimistic about hiring they have been in nearly 15 years, according to consultancy firm BDO. UK bosses are facing difficult hiring decisions as the cost of employment ramps up, with the BDO’s employment index at its weakest reading since March 2011. The index, which reflects hiring intentions, held at 93.30 [...]
The Debate: Should AI be used to make hiring decisions? February 25, 2026 Would you trust AI to pick out your CV, or should hiring be left to humans? We hear the case for and against in this week's Debate.
Checkout.com defies AI job fears with hiring spree February 24, 2026 Checkout.com has defied fears of a slowdown in tech company recruitment after one of Britain’s most valuable private tech firms ramped up hiring despite widespread implementation of new AI tools. Top tech companies have reportedly pared back hiring of junior staff, which much of the work of junior recruits becoming automated by artificial intelligence. New [...]
Job vacancies at lowest level since 2021 as London worst affected February 23, 2026 The UK’s job market took another hit after total vacancies fell to the lowest level since 2021, with London the region facing the biggest drop in open roles. The number of jobs advertised plummeted 16 per cent year-on-year to January, dipping below 700,000 for the first time since January 2021, according to job search platform [...]
Private sector axes more jobs amid Reeves’ tax and wage pressures February 20, 2026 The UK’s private sectors culled jobs for the seventeenth consecutive month in February led by a significant drop in the services sector as businesses were still digesting the impact of Labour’s 2024 Autumn Budget. The latest flash Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global described the rate of job shedding in February as at a [...]
Unemployment hits post-pandemic high as wage growth slips February 17, 2026 The labour market continued to loosen in the final quarter of last year, official figures show, with wage growth easing and unemployment climbing steadily higher. The rate of joblessness crept up to 5.2 per cent between October and December, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the highest level since early 2021 and slightly [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Unemployment rises; Debenhams’ £35m raise February 17, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The UK unemployment rate has risen again this morning, with fresh data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing the rate had surged to 5.2 per cent in the three months to December 2025. This was up from 5.1 per cent in the latest [...]
Employment Rights Act set to stall hiring, says report February 16, 2026 The government’s new package of employment rights will put a brake on hiring, according to a new report, as businesses worry about the possible risks and costs. More than a third (37 per cent) of businesses surveyed by the the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) plan to reduce hiring permanent staff as a [...]
Fintech growth sparks London hiring spree January 28, 2026 Fintech firms drove a hefty increase in hiring in the financial sector last year, a new report from City recruiter Morgan McKinley shows. Across the financial sector, the number of listed vacancies rose 13 per cent compared to the previous year despite continued inflationary pressures and lingering economic uncertainty. Fintech hiring surged 29 per cent [...]
How day one sick pay will change hiring behaviour January 12, 2026 Few employers disagree with the objectives of day one sick pay, but there could be adverse impacts on hiring behaviour, writes George Reed.