The UK jobs market is showing signs of greater stability with some employers “feeling more ready to hire”, new data has suggested.
In February, there were 1,550,191 active job postings, a rise of 0.1% from January, according to the latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)/ Lightcast monthly Labour Market Tracker.
During the same period, the number of new listings was 681,898, down 10.8% from the previous month. However, the downturn was expected because hiring usually increases at the start of the year, while February is also a shorter month that includes a school holiday week.
Overall active job postings rose by 7.2% in January 2025 compared to December 2024, marking the first increase since June 2024. New job postings surged by 34.4%, exceeding the 27.9% rise recorded in January 2024.
UK jobs market
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Commenting on the findings, REC chief executive Neil Carberry said: “Firms have been working hard to find growth in the face of rising costs since the budget, and it is reassuring that some are now feeling more ready to hire. Growing stability of demand will reassure recruiters and policymakers, given the challenging outlook for business on national insurance hikes, wage increases, global political shifts and uncertainty about the future impact of the Employment Rights Bill.”
The figures showed the highest increase in job postings were in Scotland (7.7%) and the East Midlands (2.0%), while the greatest decrease was in South West (1.2%) and the North East (0.9%).
The data also highlighted an increase in hiring for construction roles.
Carberry said: “The significant increase in construction job adverts is notable given recent concerns about the strength of this bellwether sector. The same applies to the substantial rise in adverts for parts of the under-pressure hospitality sector. We await a sustained recovery in IT recruitment, but there are still opportunities for such workers with 30,000 job postings for programmers and software development professionals and nearly 12,000 for IT business analysts, architects and systems designers.”
The tracker reported an increase in job postings this month for gardeners and landscape gardeners (33.1%), teaching professionals not elsewhere classified (22.7%), and rail construction and maintenance operatives (20.3%). Meanwhile, the largest declines were seen for veterinary nurses (-23.1%), delivery drivers and couriers (-30.1%), and train and tram drivers (-35.3%) between January and February 2025.
However, employment data from Resolution Foundation, also released today, suggests a hiring decline at a recessionary pace, with the think tank warning that the UK jobs market is “in recession territory”.
“The government must deliver a spring statement that is not only optimistic but also lays out a clear long-term growth strategy to unlock more of the latent demand for hiring and investment that we believe is out there,” Carberry added. “Achieving this requires working in partnership with business to close skills gaps, drive innovation, and expand job opportunities. Government should deliver a great pitch and let business take care of the result.”
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