Despite drop in active postings, job market remains stable

While the UK job market remains stable, the overall number of active postings saw a drop of nearly 5% over the last month.

Recruiters report that a combination of the Easter holiday, rising costs, and concerns about the impact of US tariffs have all contributed to uncertainty in the job market.

The latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) / Lightcast monthly Labour Market Tracker found that the overall number of active job postings in April 2025 was 1,471,260 – a decrease of 4.8% on the number of job postings in March 2025.

However, the number of new job postings in the UK was 729,029 – marginally up by 0.4% on March 2025.

REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry commented, “The British labour market is resilient, but facing some strong headwinds this year from cost inflation and the impact of government policies like the National Insurance rise. These figures show that there is underlying demand, however.

“Getting confidence to hire and invest going is what matters most – and firms will be looking to government decisions that make growth easier, unlike the effect of last year’s Budget.

“Many firms report that fear of the Employment Rights Bill is holding up investment – one quick win for government is to reassure firms that application of the Bill will be staged, and done in a practical way that avoids tying businesses and workers up in the costs and complexity of the tribunal system. Real reform to the Bill is needed to achieve this.

“The dip in active job postings shows that employers are still cautious, but the slight rise in new postings suggests that hiring plans are still on the table. The resilience seen in London and the South West is a positive sign, as London in particular is often the leading indicator of change in our jobs market.”

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