Active job postings up 5% in February as hiring picks up – REC
Data also showed that new job postings for February stood at 744,566, a 1.4% drop from January this year.
Active job postings in February 2026 reached 1,530,172, a 5% increase from January, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).
Top areas for growth were Na h‑Eileanan Siar (54.8%), Isle of Wight (18.6%), West Essex (16.2%), Buckinghamshire CC (15%) and Antrim and Newtownabbey (14.9%).
The biggest falls were in Gwynedd (-22%), Fermanagh and Omagh (-20.6%), Dumfries and Galloway (-20.5%), Causeway Coast and Glens (-19.1%) and South West Wales (-15.3%).
Of the 10 counties with the lowest growth, only one was in England, with the rest in Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland.
Data also showed that new job postings for February stood at 744,566, a 1.4% drop from January this year, but up 12% on February 2025, which had 664,305.
Neil Carberry, CEO at REC, said: “There were growing signs in February of firms seeking to add people at a faster rate.
“But this progress will be tested by uncertainty and a supply‑chain squeeze arising from the conflict in the Gulf.
“Business and government will need to work closely together in the coming weeks to manage these disruptions to deliver a better business environment in the UK this year, especially as anticipated interest rate falls are not now likely.”
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