Recruitment in Jersey in 2026: How Does the Local Market Compare to the UK?

Recruitment in Jersey continues to defy some of the softer trends seen in the UK, with demand holding firm in key sectors and high-quality candidates still moving quickly.

As we move into 2026, many employers are asking the same question: what does the year ahead look like for hiring? To answer that properly, it helps to look beyond headlines. For while the UK labour market has slowed, it hasn’t stalled, and Jersey, with its unique economic structure, is showing a different kind of resilience.

The UK Labour Market: Slowing, Not Stopping

According to the latest data from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), the UK jobs market ended 2025 under pressure but still active. In December alone, there were around 1.3 million active job postings, even accounting for the usual seasonal slowdown.

Permanent hiring eased, temporary billings softened, and employer confidence dipped. But demand didn’t disappear, it became more cautious. Many organisations delayed decisions, weighed up costs more carefully, and took longer to sign off on new hires.

This is best described as a market with one foot on the brake and one on the accelerator. Employers know what they want to do, they’re just not quite ready to commit.

Recruitment Resilience in the UK

Despite these headwinds, the recruitment industry itself remained a vital part of the UK economy. The REC’s Recruitment Industry Status Report shows the sector contributed £40.6bn last year.

Temporary and contract roles continued to provide businesses with flexibility, while recruiters played a critical role in keeping talent connected to opportunity even as margins tightened and risk increased.

Shelley Kendrick, Managing Director, Kendrick Rose, explains: “This resilience matters, because it sets the backdrop for what we’re seeing offshore. Jersey has felt many of the same pressures as the UK with rising costs, regulatory uncertainty, and cautious decision-making. But the island’s employment market has its own defining features.”

Steady Demand in Jersey with uneven growth across sectors

Despite softer confidence, total employment in Jersey continues to grow:

• December 2024: 64,790 jobs - the highest December figure on record
• June 2025: 65,320 jobs - the highest total ever recorded

This tells us demand hasn’t gone away. But, like the UK, it has become more selective. And where Jersey differs most from the UK is how that growth is distributed.

Public sector employment has expanded significantly, with job numbers rising over 20% across five years. In contrast, private sector growth has been far more modest.

This has created a more uneven labour market - one where opportunity exists, but not evenly across industries.

Sectors Seeing Growth

• Financial services and legal
• Trust, compliance, and risk
• Private education, health, and professional services

Sectors Under Pressure

• Construction and quarrying
• Hospitality and retail
• Information and communication / digital roles

This divergence mirrors the REC’s findings in the UK: demand is still there, but confidence varies sharply by sector.

Shelley said: “We had a busy end to 2025 and have had an active start to 2026. Jersey employers are hiring, but they are doing so carefully. Recruitment processes are longer. Sign-offs take more time. Shortlists are tighter. Employers are far more focused on long-term fit and value than on simply filling vacancies.”

Government policy has also played a role. A non-frontline recruitment freeze, introduced in 2024 and extended into 2026, has slowed public sector hiring outside essential services influencing overall market confidence. The result is a market that hasn’t stalled, but where the bar is higher.

Skills Shortages Still Drive Movement

One area where Jersey is an outlier from broader UK trends is candidate mobility in specialist roles.

Skills shortages remain acute in:

• Financial services
• Trust and fiduciary
• Compliance and risk
• IT and digital transformation
• Senior and specialist professional roles

For employers, this means competition for top talent remains strong. For candidates, it means high-quality professionals still move quickly even in a cautious market.

Temporary and contract roles are also on the rise, reflecting the UK trend and giving businesses a lower-risk way to add capacity while maintaining flexibility.

Looking Ahead through 2026 – growth will be gradual

Both the REC and local Jersey data point to the same conclusion: a sharp rebound early in 2026 is unlikely. Employers largely know what they want to do but uncertainty around costs, policy, and long-term planning continues to hold them back.

For Jersey, the outlook depends on:

• Government workforce and policy decisions
• The strength of the local skills pipeline
• Ongoing cost-of-living and real earnings pressures

Recovery is possible but it will be gradual, not sudden.

If there is one clear lesson heading into 2026, it’s this: data-led decision-making beats assumption. Markets are no longer moving in straight lines. Sectoral divergence, skills shortages, and cautious confidence mean yesterday’s hiring rules no longer apply.

Shelley said: “At Kendrick Rose, we see this daily. Employers who stay informed, agile, and proactive are the ones securing the best talent even in a measured market. Candidates who understand where demand remains resilient are the ones moving with confidence. Opportunity still exists and people know it.”

A recent Kendrick Rose poll supports this cautiously positive sentiment. When asked how they felt about work around Blue Monday:

• 43% said they felt motivated and positive
• 30% were quietly considering options
• 17% felt ready for a change

Recruitment in Jersey is not immune to global and UK pressures, but it continues to show resilience where it matters most: sustained demand, record employment levels, and ongoing skills shortages in critical sectors.

As we move through 2026, clarity, insight, and local market knowledge will be the difference between hesitation and progress.

If you’d like a clearer view of what’s happening in your sector or want to understand where the real opportunities lie, we’re always happy to share what we’re seeing across the island. Please check out our jobs page for the latest opportunities and get in touch if there are any roles you would like to discuss.