Advice and Opinion - November 2025

  • Fewer Vacancies, More Competition — How to Stand Out When the Job Market Tightens

    Posted on Wednesday, November 26, 2025 by Ian Thomas — No comments

    There’s a familiar pattern in the UK job market right now: fewer vacancies, slower hiring and a sense that competition has sharpened almost overnight. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics confirm what many jobseekers have been feeling — the number of available roles has fallen again, while more people are looking for work. In simple terms, the space has tightened. And when ...

  • Vacancy Numbers Hit a Four-Year Low — What It Means for Your Job Search Right Now

    Posted on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 by Ian Thomas — No comments

    The latest data from Adzuna hit the job market like a cold blast of winter air: UK job vacancies have dropped to their lowest level since March 2021. For many people searching for work right now — especially those coming into November hoping for momentum before the new year — this news feels unsettling. Fewer vacancies often translate into fewer opportunities, longer waits and a sense that ...

  • Hiring Freeze or Strategic Slow-down? What Employers’ Caution Means for Today’s Jobseekers

    Posted on Monday, November 24, 2025 by Ian Thomas — No comments

    Over the past few weeks, a particular phrase has been circulating in business headlines: “hiring freeze.” Some companies have announced delays. Others are reviewing budgets. And the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has publicly warned that elements of the new Employment Rights Bill could stall economic growth if businesses respond by pulling back on recruitment. For jobseekers reading ...

  • Britain’s Youth Jobs Crisis: Nearly One Million Young People Locked Out of Work

    Posted on Monday, November 24, 2025 by Kim Cockayne — No comments

    The latest figures on youth unemployment landed with a thud that’s hard to ignore. Nearly one million young people in the UK — almost one in five aged between 16 and 24 — are now classed as NEET: not in employment, education or training. It’s the highest level in a decade. And behind that headline lies a crisis that’s as personal as it is national. When Britain talks about labour shortages, an ...

  • Employers Are Focusing Less on Diversity — What This Means for Candidates from Underrepresented Backgrounds

    Posted on Monday, November 24, 2025 by Ian Thomas — No comments

    There’s been a quiet shift happening in UK workplaces — one that many people have sensed long before the latest data confirmed it. The momentum around diversity and inclusion, which grew so strongly a few years ago, has begun to slow. The most recent government survey from the Department for Work and Pensions shows a noticeable drop in the number of employers actively monitoring diversity, ...

  • Hiring Is Slowing but Talent Is Still Moving — What This Means for Jobseekers Right Now

    Posted on Monday, November 24, 2025 by Kim Cockayne — No comments

    There’s a particular tension in the job market right now — something many people can feel even without reading a single headline. Jobs seem harder to find. People are waiting longer to hear back from applications. Hiring feels cautious, hesitant, slower than usual. And yet, despite everything, people are still moving. Roles are still opening. Employers are still making offers. It’s not a freeze — ...

  • How to Build a Career You Love — Even When You Feel Stuck

    Posted on Monday, November 24, 2025 by Kirsty Jones — No comments

    Most people don’t talk about the quiet moments when they realise something isn’t right in their working life. It’s rarely dramatic. It’s usually a small feeling that grows over time — the Sunday evening dread, the lack of energy when you switch on your laptop, the sense that you’re moving but not actually getting anywhere. Feeling stuck in your career doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It doesn’t mean ...

  • The Missing Middle — Why Inclusion Has to Reach the Interview Room

    Posted on Sunday, November 9, 2025 by Ian Thomas — No comments

    Diversity doesn’t fail at the policy stage — it often fails in the interview room. Organisations can have the best intentions, great values, and glossy inclusion statements, but when it comes down to who gets hired, bias can still quietly shape the outcome. Recruitment isn’t just about attracting diverse candidates; it’s about treating them fairly at every stage. That’s where so many well-meaning ...

  • Social Mobility Starts at the Job Ad

    Posted on Sunday, November 9, 2025 by Kirsty Jones — No comments

    Fair recruitment isn’t just about who applies; it’s about who feels welcome to apply in the first place. Every job advert tells a story about opportunity — who it’s for, who’s expected, and who might quietly feel excluded. For all the progress in diversity and inclusion, class and social background remain some of the most invisible barriers in the hiring process. The uncomfortable truth is that ...

  • Let’s Talk About Neurodiversity — It’s Time Recruitment Caught Up

    Posted on Sunday, November 9, 2025 by Kim Cockayne — No comments

    We talk a lot about diversity at work, but one area is still far behind the curve: neurodiversity. Too often, recruitment assumes that everyone thinks, communicates, and performs in the same way. That’s just not true. People with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other forms of neurodivergence bring incredible focus, creativity, and problem-solving ability — yet many are still shut out ...

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