How are vacancies faring in the South amidst the ongoing skills shortage and the salary war? Which regions are experiencing the biggest uplifts? Which industries and firms have increased their hiring levels of these professionals? Download our new report to find out.
Written in partnership with APSCo, this report reviews recruitment trends for jobs in the Southern regions of England. It compares the annual and monthly totals trends, observes the regions where recruitment is rising, breaks down the performance by industries, and analyses the hiring activity of the top firms.
To discover more labour market insights and the trends that drove recruitment
across the South in the first half of 2022; download our report now!
Year in Review – UK Legal Labour Market Trends, January 2026
UK legal hiring grew modestly in 2025, with vacancies rising 1.4%, but strong demand in specialist areas drove large increases in personal injury (+30.3%), banking and finance (+23.4%), and tax (+19%) roles. Regional markets expanded alongside London, with the North East (+28.6%) and Wales (+26%) leading growth, while law firm recruitment strategies diverged sharply, with some firms rapidly expanding and others scaling back hiring.
Year in Review – Life Sciences Report
This report finds that UK life sciences hiring cooled in 2025 as companies prioritised funding discipline and cash efficiency, with scientific vacancies falling 7% overall despite continued strength in core hubs such as London and growth in South East England. While regional trends diverged—most notably rapid expansion in North East England—major employers such as Roche, Lonza, and Johnson & Johnson increased hiring, even as recruitment slowed at firms including GSK and AstraZeneca.
Year in Review – UK Finance Labour Market Trends, January 2026
This report finds that UK financial-services hiring grew 13% in 2025 despite economic uncertainty, driven by strong demand for technology, compliance, and digital transformation roles, with fintech vacancies rising 29% and Greater London accounting for over half of all growth.
Accountancy vacancies increased 15% with a sharp rise in senior leadership roles, banking hiring focused on IT and operational resilience, and fintech remained the sector’s fastest-growing segment as firms expanded software, product, and business-development teams.

