UK Hiring Momentum Builds as Professional Job Vacancies Surge in May

There’s some encouraging news for job seekers and businesses alike, with the UK professional jobs market showing fresh signs of strength as hiring activity continued to rise throughout May.

New data from recruitment and business consulting firm Robert Half reveals that professional job postings climbed by 7% month-on-month, exceeding 56,400 vacancies across the UK. 

Even more encouragingly, this marks the second consecutive month of growth, pushing hiring levels back towards the highs seen at the start of 2026.

The latest figures suggest that employers are once again investing in highly skilled talent, particularly in finance, accounting and technology roles that are crucial to business growth and long-term success.

Finance teams are seeing particularly strong demand. Credit Controller vacancies increased by 19% in May, while Finance Director roles rose by 20%. These gains indicate that organisations are placing greater emphasis on financial control, strategic planning and business performance as they navigate an increasingly competitive marketplace.

The sectors driving this growth are equally interesting. Finance and accounting vacancies within business services jumped by 24%, while manufacturing businesses increased hiring by an impressive 26%. Roles such as Accounts Assistant, Finance Manager and Tax Manager continue to be among the most sought-after positions across the country.

Technology recruitment is also gaining pace as organisations continue to invest in digital transformation projects. IT vacancies rose by 12% month-on-month, reaching around 1,100 advertised positions.

Some of the strongest growth has been seen in senior and specialist roles. Demand for Senior Business Analysts surged by 57%, while Lead Engineer vacancies increased by 36%. These figures suggest that businesses are not simply maintaining existing systems but actively pursuing complex projects, innovation initiatives and technology-led growth strategies.

Geographically, London remains the UK's largest professional hiring market, recording more than 10,600 vacancies during May. However, the capital isn't the only city enjoying renewed confidence.

Manchester also posted a healthy 5% increase in professional job opportunities compared with April, reinforcing its reputation as one of the UK's fastest-growing business and technology hubs.

For employers, the data highlights the importance of attracting and retaining skilled professionals in an increasingly competitive market. For job seekers, it signals growing opportunities across a range of industries, particularly for those with specialist finance or technology expertise.

After a period of uncertainty, the latest figures suggest that confidence is returning to the UK's professional jobs market, and that's welcome news for businesses and workers alike.

APSCo warns umbrella compliance consultation is ‘flawed’

In response to the Government's consultation period, Tackling non-compliance in the umbrella company market, the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) has warned the proposals are flawed as they fail to do address the root cause of the issue, the need for licencing of the umbrella sector.

In its submission to HM Treasury, APSCo highlighted many of the proposals aren't sufficiently wide-ranging, including:

- The proposed options aren't fit for the current marketplace, let alone anticipating future market innovations.

- They won't address the fundamental problems, there are no barriers to entry to the umbrella market, setting up a corporate entity and launching an umbrella company can be done in a mere matter of days.

- The supply chain can't have the same access to payroll data as HMRC, thus no amount of due diligence will give the supply chain access to the information that's vital to find and prevent tax avoidance. If a corrupt umbrella company sets up a shadow scheme, either with or without worker’s knowledge, then this won't be shown on any standard level of due diligence by a recruiter.

Tania Bowers, Global Public Policy Director at APSCo points out: explained: “We've proposed a broader definition to encompass umbrella companies within existing legislation which also allows for marketplace evolution, for example, such as direct engagement with end-hirers.

“While we welcome the commitment to tackle non-compliance in the umbrella sector, we believe the proposals don't go far enough to target the umbrella companies, as opposed to placing more liability and obligations on recruiters.

“There are no barriers to entry to the umbrella market, which means that setting up a corporate entity and launching an umbrella company can be done in a matter of days. 

"A licencing or registration process is required with EAS or another body, in recognition that financial wrongdoing is the largest risk to workers and the supply chain. Further, industry self-regulation should be replaced with statutory compliance codes.

“Members support enshrining due diligence in regulation as a first step as this will immediately lead to a more level playing field but don’t think it’s the most effective route to stop tax non-compliance.

“As to debt transfer and requiring recruiters to take on deemed employer obligations, members consider this will lead to SMEs being edged further out of the marketplace as end-hirers and outsourcers understandably toughen up their preferred supplier lists and contractual indemnities and potentially take the hiring process in-house.

“APSCo will continue to work with HMT, EAS and HMRC to find the right, best solutions to tackle tax non-compliance in the umbrella sector and ensure the voice of our members is heard, but urge Government to redirect their energy at regulating the sector itself, rather than requiring recruiters to do so."

https://www.apsco.org