Hosted in Partnership with Mercury CRM, the AI Transformation Forum is a quarterly breakfast event, for business owners and senior executives who are interested in how technology is transforming business and what this means for hiring trends as a result.
Hosted in Partnership with Mercury CRM, the AI Transformation Forum is a quarterly breakfast event, for business owners and senior executives who are interested in how technology is transforming business and what this means for hiring trends as a result.
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.
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.
This report shows UK real estate hiring remained resilient in 2025, with vacancies rising 0.5% nationally despite a 1.3% drop in London, driven by strong demand for sales and infrastructure roles. Regional growth was uneven, with Scotland leading at 14.2%, while housing-focused firms scaled back recruitment amid slower residential markets.
