Financial-services hiring sits inside a cooling but still competitive market. Vacancy estimates decreased on the quarter, with early estimates for April to June 2026 suggesting a decrease of 7,000 vacancies to 712,000 compared with January to March 2026 ONS - Vacancies and jobs in the UK. That same bulletin reports 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.
A softer headline does not mean easy hiring. The largest volume increase in vacancies in August to October 2025 was in the professional, scientific and technical activities sector, which rose by 5,000 ONS – Vacancies and jobs in the UK: November 2025. For insurance teams, that mix of falling totals and pockets of strong demand is exactly why you need to score shortlists against the live role, not against a generic template.
Insurance roles are increasingly senior and qualification-led. In the financial-services sector, recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles, rather than RQF 3 to 5 GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report. RQF 6 sits at degree level, so the people you want tend to carry chartered status, specialist technical depth or regulated advisory experience.
When you score a shortlist, weight the criteria that actually gate the role: the right regulatory qualification, relevant lines of business, FCA-regulated experience and demonstrable technical skills. Someone who looks strong on paper but lacks the RQF 6+ profile the role needs should not out-rank someone who meets the regulated bar. Scoring against the live role keeps that ranking honest.
Start by defining the role in measurable terms. List the non-negotiables (qualification level, regulated experience, specific insurance lines) separately from the nice-to-haves. Score every applicant against those non-negotiables first, so your shortlist reflects the live role rather than the loudest CV.
Good hiring here is disciplined, not slow. When your scoring is tied to the live role and to real market data, you interview fewer people, interview better ones, and reach a confident decision sooner.
We search 15 million candidates and rank them against the exact requirements of your live role, from qualification level to regulated experience, so the people at the top of your shortlist genuinely match the brief. 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 open insurance role and see your scored shortlist today.
