It’s our twice-yearly analysis of recruitment performance and jobseeker behaviour, built from large-scale vacancy and candidate data plus UK-focused market context.
Recruit smarter in a market that's cooling - without losing pace, quality or fairness.
The UK recruitment landscape has shifted. There are more applicants in many areas, but that doesn't automatically mean better hires. Processes are under pressure. Candidate tolerance for friction is dropping. And the risk of getting decisions wrong is rising.
That's why we publish this report twice a year: to give People leaders and Talent Acquisition teams a clear read on what's changing - and what to do next.
A short story to set the scene
A role gets a surge of applicants. The hiring team relaxes.
But our Talent Insights report shows why volume can be misleading: applications are increasingly mobile-led and while most candidates say the process is straightforward, many still spend an hour or more applying - a red flag for friction and drop-off of the best talent.
In a high-volume market, the winners aren't the teams with the biggest funnels - they're the teams that remove friction and convert the right people faster.
This report is designed to help you cut through the noise and build a recruitment engine that's faster, fairer, and fit for 2026.
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What makes this report different
We're not guessing. We're analysing what we see every day - at scale.
In this edition, our Talent Intelligence Unit analysed:
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20,000 vacancies across 18 sectors (July 2025 to January 2026)
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12,500 jobseeker survey responses across four generations
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Performance patterns across sourcing, applications, selection, and outcomes
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What you'll learn (without the fluff)
Inside, you'll get clear answers to the questions TA teams are being asked right now:
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Is hiring demand really cooling - and what does that mean for attraction strategy?
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Why “replacement hiring” is dominating - and how to reduce the churn behind it
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Which channels drive applications vs which channels drive hires (and why that gap matters)
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How mobile-first has become make-or-break for completion rates
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What candidates actually choose jobs for in 2026 (and how to reflect that in your EVP and job content)
- Where fairness and accessibility show up in outcomes - and how to spot bias points early
You'll be surprised by...
A preview of what to expect inside the report:
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The real reason vacancies are staying open isn't always a lack of applicants - it's what happens after they click apply.
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One hiring lever is consistently underused (and it's sitting inside your organisation already).
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Candidates behave differently on mobile - and small friction points have outsized impact.
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The best-performing attraction tactics aren't always the newest ones.
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When candidates choose between offers, one factor dominates - and it's reshaping how job ads should be written.
- Download the report for free
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Who is the Talent Insights Report for?
If any of this sounds familiar, then this report is for you:
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You're seeing more applicants, but still struggling to improve quality of hire
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You're under pressure to hire faster, while keeping processes compliant and fair
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You want to spend less time debating “opinions” and more time acting on evidence
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You need your careers site and job content to convert (especially on mobile)
Perfect for: Heads of TA, TA Ops, Resourcing Leads, HRDs, People Analytics, Hiring Managers and anyone accountable for hiring outcomes.
What's inside
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Market intelligence: what's changing across the labour market, pay dynamics, technology, and DEI expectations.
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C-suite takeaways: the “so what” for leadership - intent, credibility, and purpose
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Recruitment + jobseeker data: practical insight into sourcing, application behaviour, selection outcomes, and decision drivers.
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TA actions: clear, prioritised moves you can apply immediately.
Discover actionable data and insights on trends shaping recruitment across the UK, with practical takeaways for talent acquisition and workforce planning.
Complete the quick form below for your free download.
The Jobtrain Talent Insights Report is published by our Talent Intelligence Unit and is powered by Candidata™. Based on real ATS + onboarding signals and paired with large-scale jobseeker research, it is only released twice per year.