The picture at the top of the market is steady, but the picture at the bottom is shifting. In financial services, recruitment is now generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles, rather than RQF 3 to 5 positions GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report. In plain terms, employers are reaching for higher-qualified people and asking fewer questions about the first rung of the ladder.
That matters because the whole early-career market has tightened. The wider labour market is being described as 'low hire, low fire', with weaker recruitment and vacancies dropping below pre-pandemic levels Low Pay Commission Report 2025, GOV.UK. When there are fewer openings overall, the roles that train people up are often the first to quietly disappear. That's the gap insurance employers are starting to rethink.
Entry-level work is under real pressure across the economy. Adzuna has seen a 30% drop in UK entry-level job postings since ChatGPT's launch, with graduates facing the toughest job market since 2018 techUK – What's actually happening with entry-level and graduate jobs?. The UK tech sector alone cut graduate jobs by 46 percent in the past year, with a further 53 percent drop projected The Register.
But there's a more optimistic shift underneath the headlines: how people get in is changing, not just how many. Apprenticeships have risen from 3% of AI hires in 2020 to 19% in 2025 GOV.UK / DSIT – AI Labour Market Survey 2025 report. That's the fresh design in action. Instead of a single graduate funnel, employers are building structured routes that train people on the job and widen the pool of who can start.
Start by separating the qualification from the capability. Financial services recruitment is tilting toward RQF 6+ roles GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report, so if you only screen for finished qualifications you'll keep competing for the same small group. Instead, define the handful of skills that actually predict success in the role, then design a route that builds the rest.
Three practical moves help. First, treat apprenticeships as a serious hiring channel, not an afterthought, given how quickly they're growing GOV.UK / DSIT – AI Labour Market Survey 2025 report. Second, write job adverts around potential and training, so you reach people who'd thrive but don't tick every box yet. Third, move fast when you find someone good: in a 'low hire' market Low Pay Commission Report 2025, GOV.UK, a slow process loses the best early-career people to whoever replies first.
This is where we help. We search a database of 15 million candidates, so you can reach people who fit a redesigned entry-level role, not just the obvious graduate pool. We rank a shortlist in under 30 seconds, contact matched people in under a minute, and can book an interview in under three minutes, which keeps good early-career talent engaged while they're still available.
Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost, through Reed.ai. If you're rethinking how early-career insurance roles work, talk to us and we'll help you design a route that brings the right people in.
