Labour Market Tracker: March labour market saw improvement despite headwinds, with job adverts rising to 1.6 million – REC

• There were 1,615,376 active job postings in March, representing a 5.6% increase from February 2026.
• No region in the UK experienced a decline in active job postings in March 2026.
• The top five hiring hotspots, based on growth in active job postings in March 2026, were: Isle of Wight (28.6%), Lisburn and Castlereagh (23.2%), Torbay (20%), South Nottinghamshire (18.8%), and Hackney and Newham (16%).
• Of the top 10 growth hotspots, four are in London, which is always a bellwether of UK hiring trends.
• The sharpest declines in job postings for counties were recorded in Moray (-16.9%), Causeway Coast and Glens (-14.9%), Dumfries and Galloway (-12.1%), Newry, Mourne and Down (-9.7%), and South Ayrshire (-7.8%).
• Active job postings also increased by 5.1% in March 2026 when compared to March 2025.
• The number of new job postings in the UK for March 2026 totalled 770,979, which represents a 3.5% increase from February 2026, and a 7.1% increase from March 2025.
• There has been a continual and substantial increase in active job postings since December 2025.

A bigger than expected bounce in pre-Easter hiring has helped to push the number of job postings above 1.6 million, according to the latest Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) Labour Market Tracker.

The number of active job postings in March 2026 was up 5.6% in comparison to February 2026 (which had 1,530,172 active job postings). Active job postings were also up by 5.1% last month when compared to March 2025.

This year’s stronger‑than‑usual uplift in sectors such as logistics, hospitality and some occupations in retail is a positive signal for business confidence and summer hiring prospects. It also reflects the relatively resilient initial response to the Gulf crisis that was reported by recruiters in their March billings data.

Headwinds from the macroeconomic situation are likely to be built if the crisis in the Gulf is not resolved this spring. But March hiring intentions have remained stronger than might be expected, matching a trend of greater-than-predicted resilience in the UK economy.

REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry said:

“Employers were clearly signalling that an upturn in hiring in the spring was likely at the turn of the year. Today’s report shows that improvement is happening despite some of the challenges the economy faces right now. How long this can sustain is the key question. Resolving the crisis in the Gulf would obviously make a major contribution to sustaining this cyclical upturn – but even without international progress, the government at home has options. Backing employers to invest by tackling the cost of employment crisis would be a great start, and reform of the guaranteed hours proposals into something practical and effective would be in the interest of workers and companies alike.”

This month’s Labour Market Tracker shows that the top three occupations with an increase in job postings, when compared to February 2026, were Authors, Writers and Translators (47%), Postal Workers, Mail Sorters, Messengers and Couriers (46.5%) and Aircraft Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers (41.8%).

But Collector Salespersons and Credit Agents (-25%), Archivists, Conservators and Curators (-19.3%), and Optometrists (-9.4%) all shrank in demand the most from February 2026 to March 2026.

The Isle of Wight (28.6%), Lisburn and Castlereagh (23.2%), Torbay (20%), South Nottinghamshire (18.8%), and Hackney and Newham (16%) all saw the biggest increase in active job postings from February to March 2026.

Conversely, Moray (-16.9%), Causeway Coast and Glens (-14.9%), Dumfries and Galloway (-12.1%), Newry, Mourne and Down (-9.7%), and South Ayrshire (-7.9%) all contracted in the number of active job postings in March 2026 when compared to the previous month.

Sectors:

This month’s Labour Market Tracker examines hiring activity around the Easter period, focusing on three sectors that may have experienced an uplift and comparing recruitment levels in March 2026 with March 2025. The outlook in logistics and hospitality has strengthened, with job postings for Sales and Retail Assistants rising by 5.7% despite a very slight overall decline in retail recruitment.

Logistics:

Logistics has seen an 11.3% increase in active job postings in March 2026 when compared to March 2025. The jobs with the largest increase in demand were Train and Tram Drivers, with a 100.8% increase in demand, followed by Directors in Logistics, Warehousing and Transport (34%), Road Transport Drivers n.e.c. (33.8%), Managers in Transport and Distribution (28%), and Purchasing Managers and Directors (16.7%). In March 2026, there was a total of 106,950 active job postings within the sector, representing a 9.1% increase since February 2026.

But the jobs with the highest rate of contraction when compared to March 2025 are Importers and Exporters (-25.1%), Bus and Coach Drivers (-14.7%), Elementary Storage Occupations n.e.c. (-14.5%), Mobile Machine Drivers and Operatives n.e.c. (-9.0%) and Postal Workers, Mail Sorters, Messengers and Couriers (-2%).

Hospitality:

Hospitality has seen a 5.6% increase in March 2026 compared to March 2025. Most of this growth is coming from managerial positions. The occupations with the most growth were Restaurant and Catering Establishment Managers and Proprietors (28.2%), Leisure and Sports Managers and Proprietors (27.9%), Catering and Bar Managers (27.7%), Sports and Leisure Assistants (21.6%), and Butchers (19.3%). The sector has seen a 15.9% increase in active job postings between February 2026 and March 2026, with the total number of active vacancies at 97,843.

That said, occupations with the highest rate of contraction comparing March 2026 and March 2025 were Leisure and Travel Service Occupations n.e.c. (-7.7%), Housekeepers and Related Occupations (-5.5%), Cooks (-4.5%), Waiters and Waitresses (-0.8%), and Chefs (1.9%).

Retail:

Retail has seen a -0.6% change in demand across occupations when March 2025 and March 2026 are compared. Over half of occupations within the retail sector have contracted over the past year. The type of jobs with the most contraction is customer facing and goods movement.

The jobs which have seen most growth in demand when comparing March 2025 and March 2026 are Managers and Proprietors in Agriculture and Horticulture (69.8%), Managers and Proprietors in Other Services n.e.c. (16.4%), Elementary Storage Supervisors (7.7%), Sales and Retail Assistants (5.7%) and Elementary Sales Occupations n.e.c. (5.4%).

There was a total of 169,415 occupations posted within the retail sector for March 2026, whereas in March 2025 there were 170,041. The occupations which have contracted the most over the past year are Collector Salespersons and Credit Agents (-32.6%), Importers and Exporters (-25.1%), Telephone Salespersons (-20.3%), Roundspersons and Van Salespersons (-17.7%), and Shelf Fillers (-15.5%).

Ends

Notes to editors:

1.               The Labour Market Tracker is produced by the REC using Lightcast Job Postings Analytics data which is harvested from tens of thousands of job boards. Data was harvested in March 2026. For more details, see the attached annexes which, in league table format, detail the top and bottom ten county/unitary authorities for growth in job postings and growth by occupation type.

2.              ‘Active’ job postings are those which were live online during the specified time period. ‘New’ job postings are those which were added to the active stock during the specified time period.

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About the REC

The REC is the voice of the recruitment industry, speaking up for great recruiters. We drive standards and empower recruitment businesses to build better futures for great candidates and themselves. We are champions of an industry which is fundamental to the strength of the UK economy.

Find out more about the Recruitment & Employment Confederation at www.rec.uk.com.

About Lightcast

Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass) provides trusted global labour market data, analytics, and expert guidance that empowers communities, corporations, and learning providers to make informed decisions and navigate the increasingly complex world of work. With a database of more than one billion job postings and career profiles, our team provides best-in-class customer service with robust data, clear analysis, and expert guidance on skills, jobs, and opportunities.

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and Moscow, Idaho, Lightcast is active in more than 30 countries and has offices in the United Kingdom, Italy, New Zealand, and India. The company is backed by global private equity leader KKR. For more, visit www.lightcast.io/uk.

ANNEXES

Top ten and bottom ten county/unitary authorities for growth in job postings:

Top ten and bottom ten occupations by growth in job postings:

Key indicator occupations