Insurance runs on software, so the hiring pressure in broking now looks a lot like the pressure across the wider technology market. The demand hotspots are specialist skills. Computer Weekly's tech recruitment outlook for 2026 found that, against a cautious economic backdrop, employers still competed hard for people in AI, data, enterprise applications and cyber security. Those are exactly the skills that sit behind a modern insurance platform.
The wider vacancy picture backs this up. ONS vacancy data for November 2025 shows the largest volume increase in vacancies over August to October 2025 was in professional, scientific and technical activities, which rose by 5,000. Broking sits close to that space, and it competes for the same technical people. The Occupations in Demand 2025 analysis lists IT business analysts, architects and systems designers, some 193,000 workers, among the roles in critical demand, with three of five indicators flagged as critical.
Demand for one skill set in particular has moved fast. Accenture data reported by The Register found demand for AI skills rose by nearly 200% in a year, with London accounting for 80% of AI-related job postings. For brokers building smarter pricing and underwriting tools, that is the market you are hiring into.
The core hires are the people who build and run the platform: engineers, IT architects and systems designers, data specialists and the analysts who translate broking rules into working software. The Occupations in Demand 2025 list confirms these architect and systems design roles are among the hardest to fill, which tells brokers to plan these hires early rather than react to gaps.
The junior end of this market is thinner than it was, which changes how you build a team. techUK reporting on entry-level jobs notes Adzuna has recorded a 30% drop in UK entry-level postings since ChatGPT launched, with graduates facing the toughest market since 2018. The Register, citing Institute of Student Employers figures reports the UK tech sector cut graduate roles by 46% in a year. So the pipeline of ready-made junior engineers is shrinking, and experienced platform people are in short supply.
There is an upside. Apprenticeships are filling part of the gap. The GOV.UK AI Labour Market Survey 2025 shows apprenticeships rose from 3% of AI hires in 2020 to 19% in 2025. And most of this talent is at home: GOV.UK's review of professionals in IT and engineering finds the vast majority of new engineering hires come from the resident labour force, so brokers can build strong teams from the UK market rather than relying on overseas recruitment.
Start with the problem, not the job title. Write down what the platform has to do first: rate faster, cut claims handling time, or feed cleaner data into pricing. Then hire the person who can build that. With architect and systems design roles in critical demand, a sharp brief helps you move quickly when the right person appears.
Build for the pipeline you actually have. Since graduate tech hiring has fallen sharply, leaning on a steady stream of juniors is riskier than it was. Pair a small number of experienced engineers with apprentices you train up, a route the AI Labour Market Survey shows is growing fast. That mix gives you today's delivery and tomorrow's team.
Look locally and move fast. Most engineering hires come from the UK resident workforce, so the talent is here, but demand is heavy. Keep your process short. When specialist skills are scarce, the broker who books the interview first usually wins the hire.
This is where we help. We search a database of 15 million people to find engineers, architects and data specialists who match your platform brief, then rank a shortlist and reach out to matched people for you. You get to a booked interview quickly, which matters when the market for these skills is this tight. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. Tell us the role on Reed.ai and we will start the search today.
