How recruitment is evolving
Our recent Creative Industries Market Intelligence Report comments on the early signals suggesting momentum is returning. In the latter half of last year, we saw a 22% increase in intent to hire, and that continues with six in ten businesses suggesting they’ll be hiring in the next 6 months. The Office of National Statistics somewhat reflects this trend by noting an overall vacancy increase of 1.3% in October to December 2025, compared with July to September 2025.
During this period of transition, a more strategic approach to hiring is absolutely crucial. By understanding the forces pulling and tugging at the market, plus their effects, you will be able to align your recruitment strategy with both immediate priorities and future-forward goals. As confidence returns unevenly across the market, old norms need to be reevaluated on how they measure up to emergent standards and shifting expectations. The hiring decisions made today will shape teams for years to come.
Here’s how recruitment is evolving in 2026:
Measured hiring
Despite our experience of improving sentiments across the market, we’re still 30% down from peak levels seen in 2023. For some, the demand is clear and sustained - and rapid hiring is necessary to meet that demand. However, for many, growth requires a more measured approach.
Scaling at pace with anticipated demand bears little reward. To reduce risk, businesses aren’t focusing on broad headcount expansion; they are waiting to see whether the upward trend will hold steady or increase further.
Competitive skills
There is a window for companies to pull ahead. That means investing in roles aligned to support transformation and long-term capability building.
Although the skills gap in the Creative Industries is lower (10.5%) than the national average at 15.1%, it’s indicative that competition for the right talent is still a concern for many employers. Early data from our 2026 Census echoes this, since for 57% of organisations, the biggest talent challenge they are facing is finding candidates with the right skills and experience.
The market is now more selective about what expertise it’s hiring for. Precision hiring thus reflects a sharper understanding of how specialist skills or knowledge will be able to perform the role. In other words, the focus is shifting from how many hands do we need to get the job done, to what type of hands will do the job best.
Outcome-based hiring
Traditional job titles are becoming a less reliable indicator of capability and function. New tools, hybrid skillsets, and evolving production processes have rendered them two-dimensional. To overcome the mismatch between traditional role definitions and the actual skills and experience required, hiring managers are increasingly considering an outcomes-based approach. When you carefully consider what the new role is supposed to achieve for the business, it becomes easier to look for candidates who have delivered the same or a similar impact before - even if the job titles don’t align.
This approach sits closer to how the work and team operate in practice. It requires a talent partner who understands the nuance of the field, so they are able to spot the unique blend of technical and interpersonal skills necessary to deliver excellence within the established process.
Less credential bias
While formal qualifications can still show which candidates might be best equipped for a specific field or position, alone, it’s insufficient in showing organisational readiness.
With 82% of Lepaya survey respondents believing workplace demands are evolving faster than their skills can keep up, it’s evident that traditional education also can’t keep pace. The current rapid pace of technological change means that degree or diploma qualifications are becoming outdated more quickly than ever before. Without experience to back up what was taught in theory, formal qualifications are less meaningful now.
Identifying adaptability
More early data from our upcoming Census shows that keeping pace with shifting skills needs is a major talent challenge for 29% of client respondents.
A growing number of professionals are developing new capabilities in real time through on-the-job experimentation. This requires looking for candidates who can demonstrate strong foundational alignment - this looks like agile candidates who can adapt quickly as tools and technology evolve.
By choosing to evaluate these foundational skills over formal qualifications, businesses can attract a more diverse and dynamic talent pool to fill that gap. A skills-first hiring approach can expand the talent pool by up to 6x, making it easier to identify talent best equipped to continue delivering as expectations expand.
Setting up for the future
Hybrid working and flexibility were once novel ideas, but now a CIPD poll shows 91% of employers offer at least some kind of flexible working arrangement. Yet in some conversations, tensions continue between full-time return-to-office policies and expanded flexible working, with 74% of organisations now offering hybrid working, which is down from 84% in 2023.
Without any form of hybrid or remote work policies, organisations hinder their ability to recruit from a wider geographical group. As businesses plan ahead, working models will become an important part of how they set up to accommodate future workforces. Top talent will continue pushing for working models that allow for flexibility and autonomy, so structures will need to balance business needs with worker expectations to stay robust in evolving environments.
Every employee’s personal circumstances differ, and increasingly, talent is looking for a role that can align those existing responsibilities. Flexible policies should adapt to the needs of the workforce to ensure a viable and compelling employee value proposition (EVP).
Going global
The next evolution is offering customised flexibility. Giving people the freedom they need will help them show up as their best selves for work, with the CIPD reporting that 80% of employees say that working flexibly has had a positive impact on their quality of life. Add to that, 41% of employers believe that hybrid working policies have led to increased productivity/efficiency in their organisation.
As workforce dynamics expand globally to keep up with demand, flexibility expands opportunity. It becomes the foundation for collaboration and knowledge sharing in dispersed teams, enabling people to meaningfully contribute wherever they may be located.
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The job market is settling into a new normal. Even when hiring budgets remain tight, the demand for the right talent remains real and urgent.
That’s how we can help. Our access to real-time market data and an exceptionally diverse talent pool can help you hire smarter. With over 3 decades of recruitment experience in the Creative Industries, we do more than respond to trends - we understand why they’re happening to help businesses prepare for what’s coming next. If you’d like to discuss your hiring strategy for 2026, we’d love to hear from you at talk@majorplayers.co.uk.
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