The wider picture is cautious. The Low Pay Commission describes today's UK labour market as 'low hire, low fire', with weaker recruitment but only slight increases in redundancies, and vacancies sitting below pre-pandemic levels Low Pay Commission Report 2025, GOV.UK. That caution matters for finance leaders, because it means demand is concentrated rather than broad. Fewer roles are open, so each one has to count.
There are still bright spots. The ONS reports that in August to October 2025 the largest volume increase in vacancies came in professional, scientific and technical activities, which rose by 5,000 ONS – Vacancies and jobs in the UK: November 2025. Professional services, which include much of banking and financial services support, are where hiring appetite is holding up. The question for a hiring manager is no longer whether talent exists. It is how quickly you can find the right fit inside a busy, moving market.
In financial services, recruitment is skewed towards more senior, qualified roles. The government's Temporary Shortage List review found that hiring in the sector was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) level 6 and above, rather than the RQF 3 to 5 band GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report. In plain terms, employers are looking for experienced, degree-level and professionally qualified people, not entry-level hires. That shapes what a good shortlist should surface first.
Two forces are reshaping the skills mix around finance teams. First, specialist technology skills are in demand: businesses report hotspots for AI, data, enterprise applications and cyber security Computer Weekly (tech recruitment outlook 2026). Demand for AI skills alone has climbed sharply, up nearly 200% in a year according to Accenture data The Register (Accenture data). Finance functions now compete for the same data, risk and cyber talent as everyone else.
Second, the entry-level route is under pressure. Adzuna has recorded a 30% drop in UK entry-level job postings since ChatGPT launched, leaving graduates facing the toughest market since 2018 techUK – What's actually happening with entry-level and graduate jobs?. For finance leaders that is a live risk to the talent pipeline, and a reason to think carefully about where you build skills rather than only buy them in.
Start by reading the market, not just the CV pile. When recruitment is concentrated in RQF 6+ roles GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report, your shortlist needs to weigh qualifications and seniority signals properly, so experienced people are not lost behind keyword-matched noise. Live role data does exactly that: it compares current demand against each profile and ranks the closest fits, rather than leaving you to sift manually.
Next, plan for the skills you cannot simply buy. With entry-level postings down 30% techUK – What's actually happening with entry-level and graduate jobs?, and AI apprenticeships rising from 3% of AI hires in 2020 to 19% in 2025 GOV.UK / DSIT – AI Labour Market Survey 2025 report, grow-your-own routes are becoming a serious option for finance teams. Blend experienced hires with apprenticeships and internal moves so you are not exposed to a single, crowded talent pool.
Finally, move quickly on the people who fit. In a 'low hire' market Low Pay Commission Report 2025, GOV.UK, the strongest people rarely stay available for long. A shortlist built on live data lets you focus your time on genuine matches and reach out while interest is high, instead of chasing a long list that has already gone cold.
This is where we fit. We search a database of 15 million people and use live role data to rank a shortlist in seconds, weighing skills, qualifications and seniority against what your finance role actually needs. You review real matches, not a pile of near-misses. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. Ready to see your shortlist with Reed.ai? Tell us about the role and we'll get started today.
