Figures from the latest Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and Lightcast Labour Market Tracker show there were more than 1.3m active job postings in December 2025, a figure than is down on that same time last year.
The number of overall active postings in December 2025 was 1,311,956, a decrease of 11.1 per cent on the number of job postings in November 2025. The number of new job postings in the UK was 573,597 – down by 8.2 per cent on last month. Big falls from November to December are seasonally typical.
“The late Budget meant that few firms had time to put revised hiring plans into place before the Christmas break, contributing to a sharper December downturn than usual,” said REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry. “All eyes are now on January for signs of recovery. There is some optimism for hiring in employer survey data, but it is persuading firms to take the leap that matters. Even so, jobseekers still enjoyed plenty of choice with total new postings last month roughly matching the population of Edinburgh.”
Carberry notes there is a startling variety in the occupations that grew in demand in 2025, although he says they all loosely relate to key trends for the year ahead in infrastructure, net zero and demographic changes. The sharpest declines in job postings last year hit roles most exposed to automation, digitalisation and cost pressures.
“If the government wants firms to have confidence to grow, it needs more than interest rate tweaks,” said Carberry. “It must champion enterprise and investment, make its industrial strategy more impactful, tackle soaring costs such as energy and avoid tax hikes that stall growth.”
The Labour Market Tracker shows that the top three occupations with an increase in job postings in December 2025, compared to November 2025, were Teaching Professionals n.e.c. (39.9 per cent), Electrical Service and Maintenance Mechanics and Repairers (13.8 per cent) and Air Transport Operatives (8.4 per cent).
But Painters and Decorators (-29.6 per cent), Actors, Entertainers and Presenters (-30.0 per cent) and Postal Workers, Mail Sorters, Messengers and Couriers (-31.7 per cent) showed the largest decrease in roles from November to December 2025. This suggests such roles were filled in November ahead of the festive period.
Isle of Anglesey (27.0 per cent), Dumfries and Galloway (19.7 per cent), Scottish Borders (18.7 per cent), Northumberland (16.7 per cent), and Causeway Coast and Glens (16.3 per cent) showed the biggest increase in active job postings.
Meanwhile, Torbay (-17.2 per cent), Dudley (-17.4 per cent), West Sussex (North East) (-18.6 per cent), East Surrey (-23.9 per cent), and Isle of Wight (-26.9 per cent) accounted for the sharpest decline in job postings.
