The wider UK hiring picture is steadying. Permanent placements have finally stabilised, ending a decline that had run for 45 months, while temporary billings rose for a fourth consecutive month, according to the REC and KPMG Report on Jobs, produced with S&P Global. That turn matters for finance teams, because it signals employers are willing to commit to permanent headcount again rather than leaning only on cover.
Demand is also strongest in the kind of work that sits close to financial services. The largest volume increase in vacancies was in the professional, scientific and technical activities sector, which rose by 5,000 in August to October 2025, per the ONS Vacancies and jobs in the UK bulletin for November 2025. Professional roles are where the new headcount is landing, and finance teams are part of that story.
The longer view reinforces it. Demand for key occupations will grow by nearly 25% over the next decade, with 1.8 million new priority jobs expected by 2035, according to Skills England's landmark skills report. Finance leaders planning headcount now are hiring into a market that is tightening for skilled, qualified people.
The clearest signal in live roles is seniority and qualification level. In financial services, recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) level 6 and above, rather than levels 3 to 5, according to the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List Stage 2 report. In plain terms, RQF 6 sits at degree level and above. Teams are placing new headcount into qualified, specialist and regulatory roles rather than lower-tier positions.
Technical and data skills sit right alongside that. IT business analysts, architects and systems designers, some 193,000 workers, are among the occupations in critical demand, with three of five indicators flagged as critical in 2025, per the Occupations in demand 2025 analysis on Explore Education Statistics. Finance functions rely on exactly these people to run risk models, reporting and core systems, so this demand competes directly with their hiring.
There is a squeeze at the other end of the ladder too. Adzuna has seen a 30% drop in UK entry-level job postings since ChatGPT's launch, with graduates facing the toughest job market since 2018, according to techUK's analysis of entry-level and graduate jobs. For finance teams, that means the pipeline of junior talent is thinner, which makes early planning for qualified and senior roles more important, not less.
Start by reading the signal in your own live roles. If most of your new headcount sits at RQF 6 and above, as the wider sector shows, then your process needs to match that: clear regulatory requirements, evidence of qualifications, and a shortlist built around genuine specialism rather than volume. Vague briefs waste time when the market is tight.
Move quickly, because the same qualified people are wanted by everyone. With professional vacancies rising and permanent hiring stabilising, strong applicants have options. Book interviews fast, keep feedback tight, and don't let a good shortlist go cold while approvals drag.
Plan for the thin junior pipeline. With entry-level postings down and graduate hiring hard, build routes to grow talent internally and cast a wider net for people who can be developed into regulated roles. Combine that with a serious search for experienced specialists, and you cover both the immediate gap and the longer 25% growth in demand that Skills England forecasts.
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