Statistics Online recruitment news

As a number of key reforms come into place from April 6, as part of the Employment Rights Act 2025, Peter Cheese, chief executive of the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, comments:

Entry-level pay rose by 12.9% in 2024, nearly double the increase of mid-tier roles, as sustained NLW rises compress pay differentials, Brightmine analysis shows

National minimum wage (NMW) changes are leading almost a third of UK businesses to reduce entry level roles with half looking to recruit experienced hires instead, RSM UK Workforce survey shows.

Employer confidence recovered in the first quarter of this year, before the onset of the Gulf conflict. That is according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s latest JobsOutlook, a survey of over 700 businesses across the country. The findings show that businesses, while facing headwinds from rising costs, were more ready to invest at the beginning of 2026 than in the previous year.

The more than 1.5 million active job postings in February 2026 were up on the previous month, according to the latest Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) Labour Market Tracker.

Signs of stabilisation, but new economic pressures remain

New Randstad data reveals a critical bottleneck as time-to-hire for skilled trades has overtaken professional roles, threatening AI-powered growth

Global hiring platform Indeed reveals that more than 1 in 2 employers in the UK believe AI and automation will be the primary drivers of workforce skill changes in the coming years, with 52% anticipating at least a modest shift in the capabilities required.

The National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) welcomes the government’s youth employment drive but urges stronger links between education, skills and industry.

Despite a boost for first pay deals of 2026, forecasting shows stable and restrained pay growth for the rest of the year, against a turbulent economic backdrop

AI mistrust could be costing large UK businesses £29 billion per year in unrealised value, according to new Censuswide research commissioned by UnlikelyAI

The State of the Shared Services Industry Report 2026 comes ahead of the SSOW 2026 event in Portugal in May.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed more than 7 million people started a new job in 2025.

As reports of generative AI misuse continue to increase, compliance experts have revealed a 250% surge in demand for responsible AI training content.

New research from Deel finds 40% of UK HR leaders have already extended standard probation periods because AI has made it harder to assess people’s true capabilities at the application stage.