The UK job market, October 2026
- 23,526 open roles analysed
- Published 15 October 2026
The month in three numbers
−19%new postings vs last month
6,396posted in the last 7 days
Salesmost active sector
New employers this month
Sectors on the move
New postings, last 30 days against the 30 days before
Construction
+3%
Legal
+2%
Data
+0%
Education
−5%
Project Management
−6%
Human Resources
−7%
IT Infrastructure
−8%
Engineering
−9%
Software Engineering
−14%
Finance
−16%
Marketing
−16%
Hospitality
−18%
Sales
−20%
Administration
−21%
Social Care
−22%
Healthcare
−23%
Research
−23%
Logistics
−30%
Customer Service
−35%
Production
−42%
Skills on the move
Share of postings last monthThis month
Rising
Health & Safety Compliance
4.0% → 6.4%
Regulatory Compliance
2.6% → 4.1%
Stakeholder Management
8.4% → 9.7%
Retail Sales
4.2% → 5.2%
Risk Management
3.4% → 4.3%
Shelf Stocking
0.0% → 0.8%
Fading
Stock Management
6.5% → 3.2%
Retail Operations
5.3% → 2.6%
Cash Handling
4.0% → 1.6%
Health & Safety
2.6% → 0.2%
Food Safety
2.5% → 0.3%
Point of Sale (POS)
2.0% → 0.1%
Sector snapshots
Earlier reports
Common questions
Which sector is hiring most in the UK in October 2026?
Sales, by number of open roles.
Is hiring in the UK growing?
New postings were down 19% on the previous 30 days.
See the roles behind this report that fit your CV.
How we count
Compiled from 23,526 open roles in the JobLabrador index, collected daily from company career sites and job boards. Percentages describe the share of postings. Month-on-month changes compare 30-day periods and use only sources present in both. New employers are companies posting in a market for the first time in the last 30 days.