The wider labour market is quiet. The Low Pay Commission describes conditions as 'low hire, low fire', with weaker recruitment, only slight rises in redundancies and vacancies sitting below pre-pandemic levels the Low Pay Commission's 2025 report. That caution shapes how logistics and supply chain teams recruit: fewer speculative openings, and more focus on roles that pay back quickly.
There are bright spots. The ONS reports that the largest volume increase in vacancies from August to October 2025 came in professional, scientific and technical activities, up by 5,000 the ONS Vacancies and jobs bulletin for November 2025. Analytical and specialist roles are where demand is holding, which is exactly the category a freight pricing analyst falls into.
Hiring managers also feel the shift in confidence recorded month to month by the market's benchmark tracker the KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs. In a subdued market, forwarders are being selective. That makes getting each hire right more important than filling seats fast.
Freight rates move constantly across sea, air and road, and margins are thin. A pricing analyst sits between operations, sales and finance, turning carrier data, spot rates and contract terms into quotes that win business without eroding margin. In a cautious market, that role protects the numbers that keep a forwarder healthy.
Demand for data and analytical skills is a clear hotspot even while general hiring slows. Businesses are still competing hard for specialist skills in AI, data and enterprise applications Computer Weekly's tech recruitment outlook for 2026. Pricing analysts sit in that data-literate group, which means forwarders compete with other sectors for the same talent.
The role blends several skills: rate modelling, tender and RFQ support, benchmarking carrier performance, and building dashboards that give commercial teams a live view. The best candidates read a spreadsheet like a story and can explain what a number means to someone in sales. That mix is scarce, so a sharp brief matters.
Day to day, a pricing analyst manages rate cards, prepares quotes for complex shipments, and models the impact of fuel, capacity and currency on cost. They support tenders, track win and loss rates, and flag where a route or lane is losing money. Over time, many move into revenue management or commercial strategy.
The skills are transferable, which widens the pool. Someone strong in data analysis from another sector can learn freight terminology quickly. That matters when entry-level and graduate hiring is under pressure across the economy, with a 30% drop in UK entry-level job postings recorded since late 2022 techUK's analysis of entry-level and graduate jobs. Forwarders willing to train can find analytical talent others overlook.
Start with the brief. Be specific about the modes, systems and data tools the role covers, and separate the must-haves from the nice-to-haves. A tight brief filters the pool before you spend time interviewing, and it signals to strong candidates that you know exactly what you need.
Use a short, realistic test. Give shortlisted people an anonymised rate sheet and ask them to spot a margin risk and explain it in plain terms. This tells you more than a CV about how someone thinks. It also respects their time, which matters in a market where good analysts have options.
Move quickly and stay open on background. With entry-level engineering hiring down 19%, well ahead of the fall in senior hiring GOV.UK's snapshot of entry-level hiring, talented people are available at the start of their careers if you are ready to develop them. A slow process loses them. Set interview dates before you post, and give feedback fast.
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