PE-backed Grant Thornton defies market trends with recruitment drive Prof Services Private equity-backed accountancy giant Grant Thornton is bucking the trend in the professional service market with its plans to recruit 160 new partners over the next two years. Back in December, the firm’s partners unanimously voted in favour of an investment from private equity firm Cinven in a deal expected to value the firm at up to [...]
ICO urges transparency as AI transforms UK recruitment Tech AI is rapidly reshaping recruitment in the UK, yielding companies unprecedented efficiency gains; however, regulators are warning that these benefits must be balanced with fairness and transparency to maintain public trust. William Malcolm, executive director of regulatory risk and innovation at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), explained at Tuesday’s AI regulation summit: “We want organisations [...]
How to get hired by a bot Opinion AI has infiltrated every stage of the job hunt – but has it made recruitment better? Asks Eliza Filby The recruitment guru James Reed warned last week that “graduate jobs are no longer a given,” fuelling talk of a looming “jobpocalypse” and the decline of white-collar work. Reed has seen openings fall from 180,000 after [...]
Hays CEO: There’s no substitute to meeting people face to face October 23, 2025 Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City's great and good. Today, it's Dirk Hahn, chief executive officer at recruitment firm Hays.
LinkedIn: UK businesses could get £532bn AI recruitment boost October 23, 2025 UK businesses could theoretically unlock £532bn in productivity through AI-assisted recruitment, according to new research from LinkedIn. The report suggests that AI tools, such as LinkedIn’s own ‘hiring assistant’ tool, can free recruiters from administrative tasks like screening CVs, writing job descriptions and scouting talent, allowing them to focus on strategic hiring decisions. Janine Chamberlin, [...]
Britain needs to ‘encourage enterprising entrepreneurs’ to kick-start economy October 22, 2025 Britain “needs to be a nation of shopkeepers once again” and “encourage enterprising entrepreneurs” to boost its economic prosperity, the chief executive of recruitment giant Reed has said. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, James Reed said if he was Prime Minister for the day, he’d “make Britain a destination [...]
Why graduates face a brutal jobs market September 26, 2025 While students flung mortar boards in the air after receiving their degrees, not everyone had cause to celebrate. Graduation was supposed to be the golden ticket to a dream career: get a good degree at a good university, and jobs at professional service firms, banks and consultancies would be there for the taking. For many [...]
Shortage of skilled lawyers challenges UK life sciences sector September 17, 2025 The UK market is experiencing a shortage of lawyers at life sciences businesses amid a growing need for talent to meet the rising demand for regulatory advice from businesses. A report from recruiter Major, Lindsey & Africa highlights a lack of UK candidates with expertise in legal, regulatory, and compliance matters, intellectual property (IP), and [...]
Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes are ‘taking Britain back to 1980s’ as investors turn their backs September 15, 2025 Britain’s jobs market is being hollowed out just like it was in the 1980s thanks in part to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes, the chief executive of recruitment giant Reed has said, as the CBI warns the country is now seen as a less attractive place to invest than five years ago. James Reed said [...]
Small-tier accountancy firms facing worst talent crisis in years September 2, 2025 Small to mid-tier accountancy firms are facing “serious” barriers to growth due to staffing shortages, according to a damning new report into the sector. According to figures from outsourcing specialists Advancetrack, 94 per cent of firms say recruitment issues are now holding back growth, forcing them to outsource work overseas. These figures represent an increase [...]