Next Role Weekly — Monday, 10 August 2026

This week's signal

The UK jobs market has turned a corner: the closely watched REC/KPMG survey shows hiring held steady in July, ending a permanent-placement decline that stretched back nearly four years to the 2022 Truss crisis 1[2]. Recruiters have halted cuts to permanent staff, temporary hiring is growing, and starting salaries are rising 6[7]. This is stabilisation rather than a boom — but it's the first non-declining reading in almost four years, and a meaningful shift in direction 3.

What it means for your search

The freeze is thawing — so act while employers are re-engaging. For nearly four years the drag was on the demand side, not on you. Now that permanent placements have stopped falling 2, roles that were quietly shelved are more likely to reopen. If you paused an application or a conversation months ago, this is the week to restart it.

Rising starting salaries mean your negotiating position just improved. The REC/KPMG report notes starting salaries are climbing 7. If you're weighing an offer or entering pay discussions, anchor on current market rates rather than what roles paid during the slump — the data supports asking for more.

Temporary and contract routes are moving first. Growth is showing up in temporary hiring ahead of permanent 6. If you want to earn and build momentum now, a contract or interim role is a credible on-ramp — it puts you inside organisations that are actively spending on staff, which is often where permanent openings surface next.

Treat "stabilisation" honestly: this is a floor forming, not a surge. The signal is that decline has stopped, not that hiring has taken off 3. The practical read: expect steadier conditions rather than a flood of vacancies. Keep your pipeline broad, and prioritise sectors and employers showing concrete signs of movement (below).

Worth your attention

• Recruitment firms report easing hiring conditions — UK PR agencies specifically say recruitment challenges are lessening, a useful tell for comms, marketing and agency-side job seekers 4.
• Temporary staffing is the leading indicator to watch — growth here is outpacing permanent, so contract listings are worth checking first this week 6.
• Starting salaries are rising — a direct, actionable data point for anyone negotiating an offer or return-to-work rate 7.
• The four-year benchmark matters — July is the first month since the 2022 downturn without a decline in permanent placements, so trend-watchers should treat next month's REC/KPMG print as the confirmation signal 1[2].
• Pharma/life sciences activity continues — AstraZeneca is in reported merger talks and advancing product launches, worth tracking if you're targeting that sector, though nothing here confirms specific UK hiring yet 5.

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*Next Role Weekly — the UK job-market pulse from nextrole.site.*