It’s been a big few months. Actually, it’s been a big year for HR and the market doesn’t look to be slowing down. Here’s what’s happening in the market, what’s live and what’s worth knowing.
Source: 2026 HR Industry Insights Report
A rare pause
We came into 2026 determined to build on the focus, care and commitment we’ve always brought to every search. Fast-forward to August and we’ve been consistently busy. So busy, in fact, that we’ve barely stopped to appreciate what we’ve achieved.
A day on the harbour, enjoying great food and even better company, was just what the doctor ordered.
How's the HR market?
Roles and movement have held as buoyant as the last quarter and that has kept in theme across the whole of 2026. Roles that sat in a business case through last year are being signed off. A good portion of what we’re briefing on is newly created rather than a backfill and decisions are coming through faster than they were.
Underneath that sits a market full of passive hands up. Most are not actively looking and are keeping an eye on what comes next for them. Two thirds would consider a move in the next twelve months while only a third believe they would find something equivalent or better if they went looking. For anyone building a team this year, that gap is the one worth understanding. Your strongest people are not on the job boards, which is why the best hires this year have come from approach rather than application.
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Systems and data is the hardest hire going
Businesses are investing heavily in their systems this year and the people who have taken an implementation through to go-live and then lived with the system afterwards are in short supply. Clients are moving fast and getting flexible on rem to secure them. If this is your specialty, it’s your market.
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L&OD is firmly back on the table
Transformation is what has put it there. Businesses have redesigned how they operate and are now confronting the harder half of that work, which is getting several thousand people to operate the new way. That has moved L&OD from a line item to a funded priority and it sits at or near the top of most People agendas we’re seeing. It shows in the briefs as well, with capability, leadership and change threaded through the majority of what we’re being asked to find.
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Fixed-term contracts are on the rise
Transformation is running at a consistent level across nearly every industry we work in, and fixed term contracts have had a noticeable uptick to carry businesses through it. Worth taking seriously if the work is good. Several of the ones we’re briefing on have a clear path to permanent, and a well chosen contract can put transformation experience on your CV that would take years to pick up otherwise.
If your remit has expanded this year, capture the detail while you can still evidence it. What you took on, what it delivered or protected and who you had to bring with you to land it.
Scope tends to arrive gradually and is rarely documented anywhere. By the time you need to articulate it, whether in a review, a business case or an interview, the specifics have usually gone.
The most significant shift has been the acceleration of AI adoption and the way it is reshaping work, capability requirements and organisational design.
Two numbers that don't sit well together.
Scope is growing because businesses are trusting HR with more. Making that sustainable is the single biggest thing CPOs are working on right now and it's shaping how teams are being structured, resourced and paid.
Download the reportWhat we're working on
Click through for the detail and to apply. Roles as they stood when this edition went out.
Senior OD Partner
Partner directly with the OD lead of a large national organisation to shape its behaviour and culture programme from the ground up.
Now closedSenior HR Business Partner
A broad partnering remit with senior leaders and real influence over how things get done.
Now closedP&C Systems & Reporting Lead
A high-growth financial services business hiring its first dedicated systems and data specialist, owning the system and the reporting from day one.
Now closedHR Business Partner
An experienced HRBP joining a fast paced, well led People & Culture function with a strong reputation.
Now closedRoundtables and catch-ups
We run roundtables and networking catch-ups a couple of times a year, across different levels and specialisms. If you’d like to be on the list for future events, reach out and we’ll make sure you hear about the ones that fit.
Let's talk.
Whether you're thinking about your next move, looking to hire or just want an honest read on the HR market, we'd love to chat with you.
