
South East – UK Regional Labour Market Trends, May 2025
Professional job vacancies in the South East are outpacing national trends in mid-2025, with strong growth driven by improved economic conditions and targeted investment.
Professional job vacancies in the South East are outpacing national trends in mid-2025, with strong growth driven by improved economic conditions and targeted investment.
Professional job vacancies in the South West rose in early 2025, driven by infrastructure investment and the Western Gateway initiative.
Britain’s fiscal policies in late 2024 reshaped regional labour markets, with sectors like real estate, property, and digital expanding, while IT and engineering saw declines. Regional disparities widened, with London thriving, while areas like the North West faced hiring challenges, particularly in the financial sector.
Between 2023 and 2024, professional vacancies in the Midlands fell 9.0%, outpacing the national decline of 1.5%, with the West Midlands seeing the sharpest drop. Economic pressures, including retail closures and a slowdown in investment, have driven this regional contraction.
Regional disparities in recruitment highlight increasing economic imbalances across the UK. In 2024, London was the only region to see YoY growth, boosting its share of total vacancies from 34.4% to 36.8%.
Recent political and economic developments in the UK have shaped the landscape for professional vacancies in 2024. Following the recent election, renewed government policies have focused on boosting key industries such as technology, financial services, and green energy.