Labour Market Tracker: Summer slowdown hits new job postings but 1.5 million job ads still available

• The number of new job postings in the UK in July 2025 was 652,733 – a decrease of 9.2% from June 2025.
• The overall number of active job postings in July 2025 was 1,527,906 – an increase of 3.4% on the number of job postings in June 2025.
• Both of these numbers reflect seasonal lower activity during the summer period with fewer new roles added and fewer deadlines set for the month of July. For comparison, new job postings in July were 11% lower than the same month last year.
• When comparing county regions, Mid Ulster (34.5%), North and West Norfolk (25.7%) and Newry, Mourne and Down (24.1%) showed the largest increase in new postings.

The number of active job postings in the UK was up 3.4% in July 2025 compared to the previous month, according to the latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) / Lightcast monthly Labour Market Tracker.

But this reflected fewer adverts closing off, as the number of new job postings declined by 9.2% on the previous month.

Compared to July 2024, new job postings in the UK declined by 11.0% in July 2025. Wales saw the biggest increase, with new postings rising by 2.8% year-on-year. In contrast, Northern Ireland experienced the sharpest decline, with a 39.9% drop in new job postings over the same period.

This month’s Labour Market Tracker has lower levels of in-depth data while an issue with one data source is resolved. This report excludes the problematic data.

Neil Carberry, REC Chief Executive, said

“Despite a long slowdown driven by uncertainty and rising costs, the British labour market is still creating lots of opportunities. Recruiters tell us that firms entered the summer break with a little more positivity than they had earlier in the year, so there is some hope of a bounce once the summer slowdown is over.

“Even with economic ups and downs this year, many firms are still competing for talent, especially in sectors facing skills shortages such as engineering, technology and financial services.

“But today’s data underlines the need for action in the Autumn Budget. Business optimism took a kicking after last autumn’s Budget, with spring tax rises in particular weighing on employers thinking. The fear of further costs, worries about the impact of the Employment Rights Bill and new tax rules are all on employers’ minds. If ministers want growth, they must deliver stability and backing for businesses, by moderating policy costs, reforming skills funding and putting the workforce at the heart of economic strategy.”

Today’s Labour Market Tracker shows the largest increase in new job postings from June 2025 to July 2025 was in Mid Ulster (34.5%), North and West Norfolk (25.7%) and Newry, Mourne and Down (24.1%).

Dumfries and Galloway (-44.6%), Moray (-38.1%) and Lisburn and Castlereagh (-36.9%) all accounted for the sharpest decline in new job postings.

Ends

Notes to editors:

1.              The Labour Market Tracker is produced by the REC in partnership with Lightcast, using their Job Postings Analytics data which is harvested from tens of thousands of job boards. Data was harvested in July 2025. 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.              Lightcast, the provider that informs our Labour Market Tracker (LMT), is currently experiencing a data issue that has impacted this month’s underlying LMT data. To ensure the integrity of our reporting, this August issue of LMT is a reduced issue. The data problem will be solved by Lightcast on 1 September 2025. We appreciate your understanding and will provide further updates once the issue is resolved.

3.              ‘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.

4.              JobsOutlook: Employers’ confidence in the future the brightest for over two years, suggests the REC, July 2025.

Employers’ confidence rating recovers in the latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) / Whitestone Insight JobsOutlook survey, though it is still weak.

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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:

Key indicator occupations