Get ready to seize the opportunities ahead

What you can expect from the REC in 2026

2025 has brought challenges, but opportunities are emerging. In 2026 it will be those recruiters who can demonstrate the value they add for clients who will thrive - and we're here to help you do just that.

Watch the short videos below to hear from Neil Carberry, REC Chief Executive, what you can expect from the REC as we navigate a fast-changing market and head into what is set to be an unprecedented year of change in technology, client needs and regulation.

Speaker: Neil Carberry, REC Chief Executive

What has the recruitment market looked like this year?

2025's been a year of real challenges for recruiters, but actually we're seeing more and more opportunities start to appear as members seize the chances they have to show how they add value for clients. The REC's role is really to help you with this.

We don't just talk to government on your behalf, although we do. We'll be talking to your clients more too about the value you get from working with specialists who are compliant and skilled and really understand the challenges they face. Speaking to hundreds of client businesses this year, I've got a real sense of how lost they are in the market today, and that is where skilled and compliance specialists like REC members come in. Our job at the REC, and we've been doing it all year, is to help you win that battle for their attention and to show the value that you can add.

Our hubs on AI, on upcoming Umbrella changes, on the Employment Rights Bill, make sure your business is safe, getting ahead, can advise clients effectively and comes from the heart of understanding with the skills that our team have here. Our new REC Academy was launched and it's been used by thousands of members this year to improve their staff's skills. All within the subscription, we're talking about having different conversations with clients now to develop business.

Our research remains the market leader in understanding what's going on. It's used from everyone from the Bank of England, to members, to members' clients, and at a time of huge change, we remain by far the most effective and influential campaigning voice for you. The government's employment rights roadmap was announced at the REC conference in July, for instance and has set that out. The government slowed the pace of implementation of key elements of the bill that were of concern to members on the back of our campaigning.

At the contract end of the labour market, you see the same thing happening. I now sit on the Professional Services Industrial Strategy Group. Real recognition that recruitment is part of the growth plan for this country, and we need to make sure that we are showing the value of the industry in everything that we do at the REC. And that's what has been a huge focus for us throughout 2025.

What does 2026 look like and how will the REC support members?

2026 looks like another year of fast change in recruitment, but I'm getting more positivity from both clients and members about the potential for the year now. There's still threats on the horizon, and the first part of the year we'll be supporting members on changes to umbrella company rules while lobbying hard to make sure that the Employment Rights Bill doesn't do the damage that it currently threatens to do.

We will protect your businesses and fight for your interests across the whole gamut of government and public debate about recruitment and the labour market. We'll rest on our data to do that, but we'll also bring it back to you, we'll give you insights and the advice you need to stay ahead. From our legal support, to our work on AI there is much more to come on this.

We'll continue to invest in the growth and development of your business from team training with our REC Academy to a special new business advice offer that we'll be announcing in just a few weeks. Keep your eyes peeled for that. I am incredibly excited about the value that it is going to deliver for you and your business. And we'll remain recruitment's biggest community. Our events and forums will bring you connections and support across all four nations in the UK.

So as part of that, my view has always been that the REC is a source of protection, connection and insight for members, but it's also a network where you can find out what you need to know for your business. That's the joy of your REC. It's owned by you and run for you. And in 2026, that's going to be more true than ever.

Why membership matters

2026 is an absolutely epochal year for British recruitment and staffing and talent. The labour market is changing shape fast, technology is changing quickly, AI is coming on stream, but we know the value is created where people buy people, there is a lot to get your head round as a business leader in this world. But we've also got a government with a huge agenda and I'm engaged every day in Whitehall and Westminster to make sure that what comes down the track is workable for you.

We need your backing for that, I'll be honest, but I think it's also about protecting your business. So more than any other year, actually, in my memory, 2026 is a year to be engaged with your REC because we are the only body that is engaged across the gamut of government, regulation, research and business advice while holding to standards in the way that we are.

Come and be inside our club again because we are really excited and looking forward to supporting your business, to navigate some stormy waters and to come out thriving. I'll see you at an REC event in 2026.