The UK’s data and AI labour market reached record levels in 2025, with vacancies rising 18.4% year-on-year as businesses moved beyond pilot programmes and began integrating AI into core workflows at scale. Annualised 2026 figures point to a further 13.2% increase, with January and February already posting year-on-year growth of 20.0% and 31.7% respectively. If current trends continue, one in four jobs in the sector will have been created in the last two years, a pace of growth unmatched by virtually any other part of the UK economy.
Regulatory affairs hiring across UK life sciences contracted in 2025 as multinational pharmaceutical firms implemented widespread restructuring. London absorbed the majority of cuts, with vacancies falling by 29.3%, reflecting reductions concentrated at headquarters. Across the rest of the UK, hiring proved more resilient, declining by 7.7% while increasing its share of demand.
The UK Internal Audit labour market expanded noticeably in 2025, reflecting stronger demand for governance and assurance capabilities across financial institutions. Total UK vacancies increased from 376 in 2024 to 445 in 2025, an 18% rise that indicates a clear improvement in hiring momentum throughout the year.
There has been a lot of discussion in the media about the risk of a recession due to the Gulf conflict. The UK economy was already slowing down, and this situation is adding more pressure. In the short term, this is likely to show up in several ways
Trump’s familiar slogan, Make America Great Again, risks taking on a different meaning. It may come to suggest a country that stands increasingly alone. Allies are being unsettled, while rivals appear more confident. Germany is in talks with Washington over the future of American bases on its soil. France, Italy and Spain have restricted access to their airspace for military flights bound for Israel.
