Signs of stability in job ad postings

Posted on 26th October 2025

There was a solid bounce back in job postings in September after the traditional summer holiday slowdown, according to the latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) monthly Labour Market Tracker.

The number of new job postings in the UK in September 2025 was 742,967 – up by 11.3% from August 2025. And the overall number of active job postings was 1,638,924 – an increase of 10.6% on the number of job postings in August 2025. Overall, the job market remains resilient with active job postings staying steady above 1.4 million.

A rise in September activity is not a given: in September 2024, there were 1,544,753 active job postings, which is 9.6% fewer than in August 2024, reflecting the slowdown in the market we saw last year. By contrast, between September 2024 and September 2025, postings rose by 5.5%, indicating a more stable picture on hiring starting to emerge.

REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry said “Recruiters reported a trickle of hiring firms coming back to the market in September, especially in the Midlands and the North. This data appears to back this up. While small, this bounce back is solid, and especially encouraging for an embattled hospitality sector and roles in logistics and light industrial work. Both of these are associated with employers beginning to prepare for a busy festive season.

“To build a trickle of new hiring into a river, employers will need to feel more confident in the economic outlook. That is why the upcoming Budget needs to back business, not burden it. That means no unaffordable tax hikes, sensible updates to the Employment Rights Bill to ensure it is deliverable, genuine support for flexible working and action to fix the recruitment costs fuelled by the NHS’s anti-agency measures.”

For more information visit www.rec.uk.com.