Reporting Period: This report covers data from April 2026 and is published as the May 2026 Recruitment Trends Snapshot.
April 2026 reflects a modest slowdown in recruitment activity following March’s recovery. Job postings fell by -6%, applications declined by -4%, and placements dropped more sharply by -15%. Despite this, average applications per job increased slightly to 17 (+1), suggesting candidate competition remains steady even as overall market activity cools.
Market sentiment shifted to Cooling, indicating reduced momentum across the recruitment market compared to previous months.
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Monthly Stats (vs March 2026)
- Jobs Posted: -6%
- Applications: -4%
- Average Applications per Job: 17 (+1)
- Placements: -15%
Demand vs Candidate Availability
This section highlights where hiring demand remains strongest and where candidate competition is highest.
The top industries by jobs posted were:
- Education (28%)
- Health & Nursing (26%)
- Construction (7%)
- Manufacturing (7%)
- Public Sector & Services (6%)
The industries with the highest average applications per job were:
- Retail & Wholesale (50)
- Human Resources (42)
- Catering & Hospitality (39)
- Electronics (38)
- Secretarial, PAs & Admin (34)
Oversupplied Roles: Retail, HR, and Hospitality continue to attract significantly higher application volumes per role, suggesting strong candidate competition across commercial and support-based sectors.
Sustained Demand Sectors: Education and Health & Nursing continue to dominate overall hiring demand, together accounting for more than half of all jobs posted. However, these sectors remain absent from the highest application-per-job categories, reinforcing ongoing talent shortages.
Key Takeaways
Key insights from April’s recruitment data highlight where demand is rising and where candidate shortages remain most acute.
- Recruitment activity softened slightly across all major metrics during April.
- Placements saw the biggest decline (-15%), suggesting hiring confidence or speed may have dipped.
- Candidate competition remains strongest in Retail, HR, and Hospitality roles.
- Education and Healthcare continue to experience high hiring demand with ongoing candidate supply pressure.
