The UK job market, October 2026
- 27,283 open roles analysed
- Published 31 October 2026
The month in three numbers
+20%new postings vs last month
7,354posted 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
+52%
Healthcare
+49%
Marketing
+24%
Logistics
+23%
Hospitality
+21%
Human Resources
+21%
Engineering
+20%
Research
+20%
Education
+18%
Sales
+12%
Social Care
+11%
Customer Service
+9%
IT Infrastructure
+8%
Administration
+7%
Project Management
+5%
Production
+5%
Legal
−1%
Finance
−9%
Data
−40%
Software Engineering
−52%
Skills on the move
Share of postings last monthThis month
Rising
Retail Sales
3.5% → 6.0%
Health & Safety Compliance
5.7% → 7.0%
POS Systems
0.7% → 1.4%
Budget Management
2.7% → 3.4%
Product Knowledge
2.2% → 2.8%
Continuous Improvement
1.4% → 2.0%
Fading
Python
7.2% → 3.8%
SQL
3.9% → 2.3%
Data Analysis
4.6% → 3.2%
Stakeholder Management
9.6% → 8.4%
Agile Methodologies
1.7% → 0.6%
Machine Learning
1.5% → 0.5%
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 up 20% on the previous 30 days.
See the roles behind this report that fit your CV.
How we count
Compiled from 27,283 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.