Pre-Budget blues forced firms into recruitment freeze

ACCORDING to the latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) monthly Labour Market Tracker, hiring momentum weakened sharply in November.

This came as employers slowed recruitment ahead of the autumn Budget amid heightened speculation on tax rises, and the finalising of the Employment Rights Bill.

This led to broad declines in job postings across every region.

The number of new job postings in the UK in November 2025 was 622,156 — down by 14.4 per cent from October 2025.

This was reflected in the overall number of active job postings in November 2025, which was 1,460,051 — a drop of 11.2 per cent from the number of job postings in October 2025.

Overall, the job market remains resilient with active job postings staying steady above 1.4 million. Hiring for many occupations in demand around Christmas was down on last year, which is likely down to hesitancy about economic conditions.

REC chief executive Neil Carberry said: “November was a unique month with businesses’ worries on the upcoming Employment Rights Bill compounded by rampant Budget speculation that worried firms.

“While the Budget was by no means an easy listen for companies, the overall picture was more benign for most sectors than feared.

“We can hope that this, along with the more pragmatic tone the government has struck on the Employment Rights Bill over the past month, will help get the hiring market moving again.

“With both resolution on the Bill and the Budget coming so late in the year, however, we are looking to January for the real bounce now.”

The Labour Market Tracker shows an increase in job postings this month: leisure and theme park attendants (97.2 per cent), stock control clerks and assistants (24.1 per cent) and public relations and communications directors (13.2 per cent).

But rail construction and maintenance operatives
(-32.3 per cent), stonemasons and related trades (-31.6 per cent) and plasterers (-30.5 per cent) all showed the largest decrease in roles from October to November 2025.

The number of total hospitality job postings declined by 10.4 per cent in November 2025.

Compared to November 2024, there was a decline of 3.2 per cent in the active job postings in this sector.

The kinds of common occupations that had fewer job postings in November 2025 than in November 2024, included cooks (down 10.7 per cent), chefs (down 9.6 per cent) and waiters and waitresses (down 1.6 per cent). But in a more positive outcome, the number of job postings for bar staff had increased by 27.7 per cent, bar and catering supervisors was up 14 per cent and catering and bar managers was up 10.9 per cent.

Retail roles fell by 14.1 per cent in November, following a modest 2.3 per cent rise between September and October 2025.

All occupations within the sector recorded a decline in November compared with October’s active job postings. Compared to November 2024, there was a 6.5 per cent decline. Driving and logistics roles decreased by 10.9 per cent in November, after increasing by 1.8 per cent from September to October 2025.

But active job postings were 1.7 per cent higher in November 2025 than in November 2024.

The kinds of common driving and logistics occupations that were more in demand in November 2025, as compared to November 2024, were large goods vehicle drivers (up 8.6 per cent) and fork-lift drivers (up 4.7 per cent).

But roles that are expected to be in demand around the festive period are down.

This includes delivery drivers and couriers (down 57.4 per cent), postal workers, mail sorters, messengers and couriers (down 55.9 per cent) and warehouse operatives (down 16.2 per cent).