Thinking about growing your team in 2027? We’ve put together a free recruitment guide to help businesses understand the changing hiring market and prepare for their next hire.
Whether you’re planning to expand, replace an existing employee or just considering what your team might need next year, there are a few things worth knowing before you start recruiting.
At Journey Recruitment, we speak to employers and candidates every day, so we get to see what’s happening on both sides of the recruitment process. And with the UK recruitment market showing signs of change, we wanted to share some of those insights with the businesses we work with.
That’s why we’ve created our new guide: Planning to Hire in 2027? What Employers Should Know Before Making Their Next Hire.
Here’s a little look at what we’ve covered.
1. The recruitment market is changing
After a lengthy period of caution in the UK jobs market, August 2026 saw the first increase in permanent staff placements since September 2022, according to the KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs.
While that’s an encouraging sign, the picture is still mixed. Candidate availability remains high, overall vacancies have continued to decline, and employers are being careful about their recruitment decisions.
At the same time, competition for particular skills remains, which means hiring isn’t necessarily becoming easier across the board.
In our guide, we explore what these changes could mean for businesses planning to recruit in 2027.
2. Your salary expectations might need reviewing
Is the salary you offered for a role two years ago still competitive today? It’s something worth checking before you advertise.
Even with more candidates available, businesses can still find themselves competing for experienced people with particular skills.
And salary isn’t the only consideration. Flexibility, progression opportunities, benefits and company culture can all influence whether someone decides to apply.
Our guide looks at why understanding candidate expectations early can help businesses avoid spending weeks recruiting for a role that isn’t attracting the right people.
3. More applications don’t always mean easier recruitment
Having a bigger pool of candidates sounds like good news for employers. But more CVs don’t necessarily mean more suitable applicants.
Sometimes, the challenge becomes identifying the right people amongst a much larger number of applications.
It’s why we always encourage employers to think carefully about which skills are essential, where transferable experience could be valuable and what someone really needs to succeed in their business.
Recruitment is about much more than matching a CV to a job description.
4. You could be losing good candidates without realising it
You’ve interviewed someone brilliant. Everyone agrees they’d be a great addition to the team.
Then, suddenly, they’re no longer interested. Sound familiar?
Candidates may be speaking to several employers at once, and their experience throughout the recruitment process can have a big influence on their decision.
Long gaps between interviews, unclear next steps or changes to the role can all create uncertainty.
One of the benefits of working with a recruitment agency is having someone who can keep those conversations going, understand any concerns and help both sides stay informed.
In the guide, we look at some of the common reasons businesses lose candidates and why maintaining momentum matters.
5. January might be too late to start thinking about your Q1 hire
If you’re hoping to have someone join your team early in 2027, when should you actually start recruiting?
It’s easy to forget just how much happens between advertising a vacancy and welcoming someone on their first day.
There’s the candidate search, shortlisting, interviews, making an offer and potentially waiting for your new employee to work their notice period.
Suddenly, that January recruitment campaign could result in someone joining much later than you originally hoped.
You don’t necessarily need to start advertising now, but understanding your likely recruitment timeline could make planning for next year much easier.
Download our free 2027 Hiring Guide
These are just some of the topics we’ve covered in our new guide.
We’ve also included insights into what candidates are asking recruiters before their CV even reaches an employer, why businesses might be losing applicants during the recruitment process and what we’re seeing in the market as we head towards 2027.
Our aim is simple: to help employers feel more informed and prepared when it comes to making their next hire.
Whether you already have vacancies in mind or you’re just starting to think about your plans for next year, we hope you’ll find it useful.
Want a copy of our FREE Planning to Hire in 2027 guide?
Simply send the Journey Recruitment team a message and we’ll be happy to share it with you.
And if you’d like to talk through your recruitment plans, current salary expectations or what we’re seeing from candidates, we’re always happy to have a chat.
Get in touch with Journey Recruitment:
📞 0118 977 5737
📧 info@journeyrecruitment.co.uk
🌐 www.journeyrecruitment.co.uk
Your recruitment partner since 2014 💙