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Reporting on data from thousands of direct employers across the UK.
Carrying out continuous in depth analysis of all vacancies advertised throughout the UK, Ashdown continually reviews the latest UK job market data and presents an overview of the current employment market. Request further information or benchmarking on a specific position, or visit our IT, HR, Accountancy & Marketing insights pages to get a more detailed view of individual sectors.
UK Job Market Insights – Q2 2025
The Ashdown Group has been monitoring the UK job market since 2007, drawing on vacancy data from the ONS, DWP, and leading job boards to provide timely and evidence-based insights into trends shaping professional recruitment.
Labour Market Loosens Further - but Signs of Stabilisation Emerge
The UK unemployment rate edged up to 4.6% in the three months to April 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - the highest level since mid-2021 and indicative of a labour market that continues to cool after a prolonged post-pandemic expansion. Vacancies dipped again in May, falling below pre-Covid levels, while payrolled employee numbers dropped by 109,000 in a single month — an unusually sharp contraction outside of pandemic-era shocks (ONS, June 2025).
The deterioration in headline employment indicators reflects a confluence of pressures, including subdued investment, uncertainty surrounding UK-EU trade arrangements, and persistent caution regarding regulatory change. However, a range of forward-looking economic indicators suggests a potential turning point in sentiment.
Equity markets have rebounded in recent months. The FTSE 100 reached a record high in June, buoyed by energy, financial, and consumer discretionary stocks, while the FTSE 250 — typically a bellwether for UK domestic confidence — has posted gains since April (London Stock Exchange, June 2025). Meanwhile, the Bank of England has strongly signalled that two further interest rate cuts are likely by year-end, aiming to support growth as inflation stabilises (BoE Monetary Policy Report, May 2025).
It is too early to conclude, and especially difficult to report on trends during a period of entering a seasonal slowdown. However, there are early signs of a slight uptick in vacancy volumes over recent weeks, and job vacancy volumes within our professional sectors are edging up.
IT, HR, Marketing and Accountancy Qualifications
Candidates are having to do more and more to stand out from the crowd when job hunting, and employers are increasingly looking at ways to improve candidate attraction and retention. Ongoing training and professional development can increase chances of job hunting success, and is a benefit that should be offered to improve employee attraction and retention.
We list the industry standard IT, HR, Marketing & Accountancy qualifications, certifications, accreditations and courses to improve your career.
Salary Guide
Our Salary Guide focuses on the IT, HR, marketing and accountancy sectors, created from data analysed from over 3,550 organisations, 22,000 registered jobs, 314,000 recently active candidates, ONS data and other external data sources. Explore industry specific salary data and salaries for individual job roles, based on experience and location.
IT, HR, Accountancy & Marketing Insights
Explore our industry specific insights to find out how individual roles are performing
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