UK recruiters see signs of jobs downturn easing
8:09 pm Sunday, March 08th, 2026
LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) – Starting salaries for permanent staff in Britain declined last month at the slowest pace since October, according to a survey on Monday that also showed the downturn in the number of new permanent staff recruiters hired eased.
The monthly gauge of permanent job placements from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation trade body and accountants KPMG rose to its highest level in nearly three years, but remained slightly in contraction territory.
“Despite a marginal fall in hiring last month, the jobs market was showing its strongest signs of improvement in three years, with hiring at its closest point to turning positive,” Jon Holt, group chief executive and UK senior partner at KPMG, said.
REC and KPMG also said:
* The survey’s permanent staff placements gauge came in at49.2 in February, up from 46.9 in January. * Temporary staff hiring index fell to 48.0 from 50.3. * The availability of candidates for permanent roles rosesharply. * Availability of temporary staff increased at the softestpace in more than a year. * The survey was based on responses from a panel of around400 recruitment agencies between February 10 and February 23.
(Reporting by Suban Abdulla, editing by Andy Bruce)
