Report shows year-on-year rise in summer seasonal hiring

A new report has revealed that summer job postings have increased significantly compared to last year.

These findings have been very much welcomed after concerns in 2025 following a dip in thousands of unique postings for summer jobs.

Upturn in Seasonal Demand

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s (REC) monthly Labour Market Tracker shows that in July 2026, there were 1,669,203 active job postings in the UK.

While this represents a -2.6% drop from June 2026, this is a 7.7% increase compared with July 2025.

Opportunities May Last Longer Than Usual

Commenting on the findings, Maxine Bligh, REC’s Chief Membership & Innovation Officer, said, “This is the summer when the seasonal summer jobs market started to come back. Exceptionally warm weather and a busy calendar of sporting, music and cultural events, such as the men’s football World Cup, has helped boost demand for workers.

“It is not totally straightforward for young people to earn wages just yet, with many entry-level jobs still not bouncing back as much as we would like, but there are undoubtedly more opportunities across hospitality, tourism and construction than last year. The prospect of an Indian summer in much of the UK may mean many of these opportunities last longer than usual.”

Bligh added, “Now the challenge is to carry this hiring momentum into the rest of the year and across more sectors. There is still a lot to be determined about the direction of travel the new PM will take on igniting growth.

“As attention turns to tax and spend ahead of the October Budget, businesses are already factoring in anticipated costs for providing Guaranteed Hours. The government’s own research suggests employers could be buried under £2.9 billion of extra costs per year, money that could pay for 137,000 full-time workers between 18 and 20 years old on national minimum wage.

“It is time to rethink these proposals and for the government to get out of the way of businesses who are best placed to deliver the jobs and growth that the economy is crying out for.”

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