After a long stretch of caution, the picture is shifting. Permanent placements have finally stabilised, ending a decline that had been in place for 45 months, while temporary billings rose for a fourth consecutive month REC / KPMG Report on Jobs (S&P Global). That's the first real sign of a floor under permanent hiring in nearly four years.
The wider market remains measured. The labour market is currently described as 'low hire, low fire', with weaker recruitment but only slight increases in redundancies, and vacancies below pre-pandemic levels Low Pay Commission Report 2025, GOV.UK. Early estimates for May to July 2026 suggest a decrease of 6,000 (0.8%) vacancies to 707,000 across the UK compared with February to April 2026 ONS - Vacancies and jobs in the UK, August 2026. So demand is steady rather than surging, and employers who move with intent now stand out.
In financial services, hiring is concentrated at the senior and specialist end. Recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles, rather than RQF 3-5 GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report. In plain terms, RQF 6+ maps to degree-level and professional qualifications, so firms are competing hardest for people who already hold advanced credentials.
The professional services family that finance sits within has shown some of the market's rare upward movement. In August to October 2025, the largest volume increase in vacancies was in the professional, scientific and technical activities sector, which rose by 5,000 ONS – Vacancies and jobs in the UK: November 2025. More recently that same sector saw one of the largest decreases, down 4,000 vacancies ONS - Vacancies and jobs in the UK, a reminder that demand moves quickly and plans need to flex with it.
When demand is steady and the strongest people are qualified professionals, speed and precision win. There were 2.5 unemployed people per vacancy in March to May 2026, a ratio that has held at 2.5 since July to September 2025 ONS - Vacancies and jobs in the UK. That tells you the people you want are not sitting idle, so a slow process risks losing them.
With permanent placements stabilising after 45 months of decline REC / KPMG Report on Jobs (S&P Global), the firms that build a quick, well-defined process now are the ones who fill senior finance roles before the competition does.
We search 15 million candidates to surface the right people for your role, rank a shortlist in under 30 seconds, contact matched people in under a minute and book an interview in under three minutes. Those are system speeds that help you reach qualified finance professionals before they're gone. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. Tell Reed.ai about your next finance role and we'll start matching today.
