A data-rich analysis of UK hiring drawn from our ATS, external labour market sources and a survey of 9,500 candidates. It includes benchmarks, channel performance and a practical action plan.
See how candidate behaviour is shifting - and what to do next.
Our latest Candidate Insights Market Report analyses 9,500 candidate responses across 21,000 vacancies in 18 sectors, giving Talent Acquisition leaders a clear picture of what’s driving applications and hires right now.
Download the report to get sector benchmarks, real candidate sentiment and an action plan you can deploy this quarter.
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Why download this report now?
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The market is cooling: UK vacancies fell to 736,000 in March-May 2025, down 17% year-on-year, as unemployment hit a four-year high at 4.7% (and continues to rise).
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Candidates are more intentional: values-based searches are rising and content about the job and organisation is the top trigger to apply, beating videos and formal job descriptions.
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Accessibility and mobile are non-negotiable: 70% of applications are started on mobile and visible accessibility tools make applicants more likely to complete them.
What you'll learn
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How demand and supply stack up in your sector, with applications per vacancy and application-to-hire ratios
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Channels that are converting to hires, not just clicks
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What convinces candidates to start - and finish - an application
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Where DE&I outcomes vary by ethnicity, disability and sex plus how to respond
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A step-by-step action plan to reduce drop-off and improve offer acceptance
Key report stats at a glance
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9,500 candidates surveyed across 18 sectors and 21,000 vacancies.
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70% of applications start on mobile. Make mobile your default.
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Accessibility drives completion: overall, 60% say accessibility tools have an influence to more likely to finish applications, rising to 43% for Gen Z.
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Flexibility matters: 63% rate home or flexible working as important or very important when job seeking.
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Content that triggers applications: 56% say written content about the job and organisation influences them most.
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Speed wins: completion rates can drop by around 50% when forms take longer than 15 minutes to complete.
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Inside the report
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Labour market intelligence: sectors in growth vs slowdown, technical skills hotspots, early careers realities and people strategy shifts like four-day week pilots.
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Employer activity: full-time vs. part-time by sector, home and remote working norms, application volumes and conversion benchmarks, source-of-hire analysis
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Candidate survey (9,500 respondents): motivations to move, commuting tolerance, flexibility expectations, DE&I priorities and the impact of accessibility tools
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Action plan: practical changes across EVP, channels, experience design, accessibility and analytics to improve outcomes fast
Built on real hiring data
Our applicant tracking system processes hundreds of thousands of vacancies and millions of applicants each year. Combined with our external research and Candidata™ survey data, this powers our JobBrain™ data engine, the backbone of the insights in this report.
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Who's this report for?
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There's something for everyone - from senior HR and Recruitment leaders to TA Managers and HR Assistants.
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It's also useful for Employer Brand and Recruitment Marketing teams, as well as operations leaders responsible for hiring in health and social care, education, local government, retail, manufacturing and professional services
Actions you can take today
The report is full of actions and ideas you can take away today, such as:
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Make your funnel slippery
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Show flexibility clearly
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Prove inclusion
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Spend where hires come from
Trusted by organisations across the UK
Our Jobtrain ATS supports hiring for organisations including The Princess Alexandra NHS Trust, Enfield Council, Yorkshire Building Society, Voyage Care, ODEON Cinemas, University of Manchester, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and the whole of NHS Scotland. Talk to us about improving your hiring performance
Download the Candidate Insights Market Report
Webinar - Turning insights into hires
Join our live, interactive session Turning insights into hires on Thursday 9th October 2025, 10:00-11:00 for practical steps to reduce drop-off and improve offer acceptance.
FAQs