Year in Review – UK Real Estate Labour Market Trends Report, January 2026
UK Real Estate Hiring Holds Steady Despite London Slowdown
Key findings include:
- UK real estate vacancies rose 0.5% year-on-year in 2025.
- London vacancies fell 1.3%, reducing its share to 23.2%.
- Sales roles surged 64.1% as firms prioritised revenue generation.
- Scotland recorded the strongest regional growth, rising 14.2%.
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Real estate hiring proves more resilient than expected
The UK real estate labour market proved more resilient than many had expected in 2025. Higher interest rates and slower economic growth prompted firms to tighten spending, but professional hiring held up better than anticipated. Recruitment became more selective rather than collapsing outright.
Across the UK, vacancies increased slightly by 0.5% to 63,710 roles. London remained the largest centre for hiring, although vacancies in the capital fell 1.3%, reducing its share of national demand to 23.2%. Outside London, vacancies rose 1.0%, reflecting stronger activity in regional cities and commuter markets as development and transactions continued to decentralise.
Sales and delivery roles lead recruitment shift
Hiring patterns in 2025 reflected a clear shift toward revenue and delivery functions. Real estate professionals remained the largest hiring group, though vacancies fell 15.9% as agencies and advisory firms adopted a more cautious approach to expansion.
Sales roles moved in the opposite direction. Vacancies surged 64.1% as companies prioritised experienced professionals able to operate in a slower, more price-sensitive market. Engineering demand also held firm, rising 7.9%, supported by infrastructure programmes, sustainability requirements and more complex planning frameworks. Construction professionals accounted for more than a quarter of all vacancies, while IT hiring declined slightly as firms focused spending on operational delivery.
Regional markets show increasingly mixed fortunes
Regional hiring trends became more uneven during the year. The South East remained the largest market outside London, accounting for around 13% of national demand and benefiting from continued migration out of the capital.
Scotland emerged as the strongest growth region, with vacancies rising by 14.2% as infrastructure investment and public-sector housing programmes supported demand. Growth was also recorded in the North East and Northern Ireland. Elsewhere, conditions were more subdued. Wales and the South West both saw vacancies decline as residential development slowed and investment pipelines weakened.
Infrastructure specialists drive company hiring
Company-level hiring reflected growing differences between infrastructure-led firms and those exposed to residential transactions. Businesses tied to long-term capital projects expanded recruitment, while housing-focused companies scaled back.
AECOM remained the largest recruiter in the UK real estate sector, advertising 4,781 professional vacancies despite a slight decline from 2024. Balfour Beatty recorded strong growth, with vacancies rising 22.6% following major contract wins. Laing O’Rourke posted the sharpest increase among major firms, with hiring up 70.0% as its order book expanded.
By contrast, companies such as Connells, Wates and OCS Group reduced recruitment as housing transactions slowed and financing conditions remained tight.
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