REC Press Office

Last week, we issued our response to the NHS Speak Up Review. Temporary workers are vital to patient care, but many feel undervalued and unable to speak up. This should be a wake-up call for the NHS. Read more 👉 bit.ly/4dPxLAA

#JobsOutlook: Employers less negative about the UK economy in early 2026. UK employer confidence rose by 11pts to net: -30%. 🔹 Investment & hiring confidence: net -5 (up from -10) 🔹 Permanent hiring (short-term): net +7 🔹 Overall sentiment: net +6 (down 5pts) Read more 👉 bit.ly/4rZQGfm

On the appointment of @RECNeil to the new Fair Work Agency, REC Chair @MichelleMellor_ said: "His insight will prove essential in shaping the Fair Work Agency and positioning it as the single place where workers and employers go for support." rec.uk.com/our-view/news/…

The UK labour market continued its bounce back in February 📈 Total active job postings reached 1,530,172 – up 5% from Jan 2026. Growth was also seen in highly skilled sectors like manufacturing and engineering. 🔹Similar to last month, of the ten counties with the lowest growth, only one county was in England, with the rest being in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. 🔹Active job postings also increased by 0.7% in February 2026 when compared to February 2025 Find out more 👉bit.ly/4t0XzOD

On today @ONS labour market data, @RECNeil said: “After a long period in the doldrums, the labour market showed signs of life at the start of the year. But let’s be clear, this performance felt like swimming upstream to employers. The rising cost of employment slowed the rate of recovery and it faces further pressure as the Gulf crisis increases uncertainty again.” More: rec.uk.com/our-view/news/…

After two years of recruitment slowdown, businesses in Wales want a clearer growth strategy. In @NationCymru our CEO @RECNeil explains why the next Welsh Government must work more closely with employers to drive investment and job creation. nation.cymru/news/next-wels…

Between the third and the fourth quarter of 2025, 3.1 million unemployed people aged 15-74 in the EU found a job (22.9% of all unemployed in the third quarter of 2025). During this period, 6.9 million (51.9%) remained unemployed and 3.4 million unemployed people (25.2%) transitioned out of the labour force. Source: @EU_Eurostat

Patients will lose out due to a blind spot in the NHS staff survey. We’re calling on the NHS to include agency workers in the annual survey. Excluding them leaves a major gap in understanding workforce pressures and the impact on patient care. More: bit.ly/46XXWB0

The facts on NEETs: the DWP has offered reasons for the high amount of 16-24-year-old NEETs in England in 2025, although the 13.3% of that age group as NEETs is down slightly on 2024. · More than two in five of those NEET are unemployed. · The proportion who are long-term unemployed (more than six months) has increased since the previous year. The unemployed for less than six months rate is relatively stable and remains one of the highest seen since 2013. · A total of 1.3% of 16- to 24-year-olds have been unemployed for more than 12 months. · The proportion who are economically inactive reached its highest level since 2006 last year and although it has decreased in the latest year it remains high with 7.4%, almost three in five of those NEET, reporting being inactive in the labour market. · The proportion of the population reporting the reason for being NEET as long-term or temporarily sick has decreased when compared to last year. In 2025 is the reason given by over one in five of those NEET. · The proportion inactive for ‘other’ reasons (which includes those on gap years, waiting for education or employment to start or not wanting to participate. · Females are more likely to be NEET due to ‘looking after family/home’ than males (2.2% compared with 0.2% of their respective populations) both have decreased in the latest year. · There has been a notable decrease in the proportion of males inactive due to being long-term or temporarily sick following a series high last year. · The proportion of the female population long-term unemployed (more than 6 months) has increased notably in the latest year. But short-term unemployment has decreased following the highest rate since 2012 reported in 2024. More: gov.uk/government/sta…

Health & Social Care members: join us this Wednesday at the REC Sector Group meeting in London. Get updates on: • Employment Rights Act & Agency Work consultation • Umbrella regulation changes • Practical insight from REC experts As well as the chance to network with peers. 📅 11 March | 13:30–15:00 🎟️ bit.ly/46wdf3B

New figures reveal 7 million started a new job in 2025 gov.uk/government/new…

Key takeaways from today’s @ONS look at working and workless households in the UK (Oct to Dec 2025): * Of the estimated 21.92 million households (where at least one member is aged 16 to 64 years) in the UK, 59.6% had all household members aged 16 years and over in employment during October to December 2025. * There were an estimated 26.2% of households with a mix of at least one working and one workless adult, and an estimated 14.1% of households where no member of the household was in employment. More: ons.gov.uk/releases/worki…

With #InternationalWomensDay this Sunday (8), it is worth a look at the @EU_Eurostat snapshot of EU’s gender employment gap. * Men’s employment rate stood at 80.8% in 2024, women’s employment rate was 70.8%. * The share of female part-time workers in total employment was much higher (27.8%) than that of men (7.7%). * The same trend was registered for temporary contracts (11.3% vs 8.9%) and situations of underemployment (3.6% vs 1.6%), where the share of women was higher than that of men. * Between 2014 and 2024, the EU’s gender employment gap fell by 1.1 percentage points. ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/p…

Responding to today’s Spring Statement, @RECNeil said: “Today’s Spring Statement, which comes amid rising gilt rates and energy prices, shows again that growth must be the government’s first priority. Far more urgency is required on the delivery of growth plans.” rec.uk.com/our-view/news/…

A superb piece by @louisehellem of @CBItweets in @ObserverUK - you can’t tackle rising cost of living by ramping up the cost of doing business. It damages workers (employment, pay) & consumers (inflation). And workers and consumers are the same people… observer.co.uk/news/business/…

More on this in today's Financial Times: ft.com/content/2a9592…

Non‑compete clauses matter. An outright ban would weaken protections for intellectual property and damage UK businesses. We are calling for sensible reform and a six‑month limit, not a ban: rec.uk.com/our-view/news/…

‘The government must do more to restore confidence in hiring young people’ Our Director of Campaigns Shazia Ejaz writes in People Management on rebuilding employer confidence. Our latest #JobsOutlook shows sentiment remains fragile. We need the right conditions to support hiring and unlock opportunity. Read more 👇 peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/194923…

The latest Labour Market Tracker shows a job market beginning to bounce back. Active job postings reached 1,435,910 in Jan 2026, up 3% on December and 0.6% year-on-year. Growth is strongest in IT, engineering, marketing and sales. But regional disparities remain. Find out more: bit.ly/4qNg7jS #LabourMarketTracker #LMT