TL;DR
No - it hasn't. MORT's ATS feed recorded 5,344 new UK job postings in the week of 31 Aug-7 Sep 2026 - a new 15-week all-time low, -13.8% on the prior week and -47.6% below the mid-June 2026 baseline of 10,207. France and the Netherlands are recovering from the summer trough; the UK is diverging further from it. ONS puts UK vacancies at 707,000 - the lowest since 2021. Survey-based sentiment improved but has not flowed into ATS volumes.
The data: UK hits a new low while the rest of Europe recovers
MORT tracks new job postings from company ATS platforms - Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, SmartRecruiters, TeamTailor, and others - for a rolling 7-day window each week. The mid-June 2026 reading (17-24 Jun) is the baseline against which subsequent weeks are compared.
For the week of 31 Aug-7 Sep 2026, MORT recorded 5,344 new UK job postings. That is the lowest weekly reading across all 15 weeks of tracking - lower than the previous all-time low of 5,676 in mid-August, and lower than the 6,199 recorded the prior week. In a period when France posted +27.2% WoW and the Netherlands moved above its June baseline, the UK dropped a further -13.8%.
| Week window | UK new listings | WoW change | vs Jun baseline (10,207) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17-24 Jun (baseline) | 10,207 | — | — |
| 22-29 Jun | 7,634 | -25.2% | -25.2% |
| 20-27 Jul | 6,422 | — | -37.1% |
| 10-17 Aug | ~5,676 | — | ~-44.4% (prior low) |
| 17-24 Aug | 8,651 | +52.4% | -15.2% (Bank Holiday transient) |
| 24-31 Aug | 6,199 | -28.3% | -39.3% |
| 31 Aug-7 Sep | 5,344 | -13.8% | -47.6% ↓ 15-wk LOW |
Full-feed ATS counts for UK (country_code GB), 7-day rolling windows. Baseline is Run 1 of the weekly MORT market-report series (17-24 Jun 2026). W34 (~5,676) is computed from W35 WoW and from the W36 README entry for GB (-44.4% vs baseline); treated as approximate. WoW compares each week to the immediately preceding week.
One anomalous week (17-24 Aug: +52.4% WoW) interrupted the downward trajectory. That week coincided with the August Bank Holiday in England and Wales (25 Aug) - the data pattern is consistent with companies rushing postings through before the holiday, creating a single-week concentration that fully reversed the following week. It was not a structural recovery.
What UK-wide vacancy data shows
ONS's August 2026 Jobs and Vacancies release estimated total UK vacancies at 707,000 - the lowest since 2021. Vacancies peaked at approximately 1.3 million in 2022 and have declined in most months since. The ONS figure measures total vacancy stock across all employers and sectors; MORT tracks new postings to company career-page ATS platforms only (a subset), so the two figures are not directly comparable. Both point in the same direction.
Indeed Hiring Lab's UK Mid-Year 2026 report described the market as "under pressure and in transition": UK job postings on Indeed were down 11% since January 2026 and 32% below pre-pandemic levels. Hiring in professional and administrative services, which drove much of the 2021-2023 recovery, has softened the most.
| Indicator | Reading | Direction | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK vacancies (Aug 2026) | 707,000 | Lowest since 2021 | ONS |
| UK job postings YTD (Indeed) | -11% since Jan 2026 | -32% vs pre-pandemic | Indeed Hiring Lab UK |
| MORT ATS new listings (W37) | 5,344 | -47.6% vs Jun 2026 baseline | MORT ATS feed |
| MORT ATS new listings (W35 spike) | 8,651 | +52.4% WoW (Aug Bank Holiday transient) | MORT ATS feed |
Sources: ONS (Office for National Statistics); Indeed Hiring Lab; MORT ATS feed proprietary data. ONS vacancy stock and MORT new-posting counts measure different things and are not directly comparable.
What the KPMG/REC survey says - and why it does not yet match
The KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs for August 2026 found that permanent staff placements "stabilised" after 45 consecutive months of decline, and that temporary billings rose. That is a meaningful sentiment shift - the first halt in permanent placement decline since late 2022.
However, the KPMG/REC survey is a recruiter-sentiment survey (net balance of respondents reporting rises vs falls), not a count of job postings. A "stabilised" reading means fewer recruiters are reporting declines, not that posting volumes have recovered. The gap between that survey signal and the ATS data MORT tracks is not unusual: sentiment often leads activity data by four to eight weeks, and there is no guarantee it converts into higher volumes.
At this point in the data series - week 15 of tracking, with the UK at a new all-time low - the ATS volume trend dominates the forward picture for job seekers. Sentiment surveys are worth watching as a leading indicator; they have not yet translated into more jobs on company career pages.
UK versus European peers in W37
The divergence between the UK and the rest of Europe is the clearest signal in the W37 data. While France nearly recovered to its June baseline and several smaller markets moved above it, the UK posted its weakest week of the year.
| Country | W37 listings (31 Aug-7 Sep) | WoW change | vs Jun baseline | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 5,344 | -13.8% | -47.6% ↓ 15-wk LOW | Declining while peers recover |
| Germany | 3,580 | +2.8% | -26.2% | Flat; no recovery yet |
| France | 3,996 | +27.2% | -3.2% | Nearly at baseline; la rentrée effect |
| Netherlands | 2,145 | +14.6% | +4.1% ↑ above baseline | Recovered and above baseline |
| Ireland | 642 | +11.1% | +0.5% ↑ above baseline | Above baseline |
| Spain | 1,184 | +10.1% | -14.4% | Recovering from summer low |
Full-feed ATS counts (not a sample). 7-day window ending 7 Sep 2026. WoW compares to 24-31 Aug (W36). Jun baseline is 17-24 Jun 2026 (W26).
France's la rentrée recovery (+27.2% WoW, -3.2% vs baseline) stands in direct contrast to the UK's continued decline. The Netherlands and Ireland have both crossed above their June baselines. Germany remains weak but is at least flat. The UK is the single large European market recording a new low in the first week of September - a period when seasonal recovery is the expected pattern.
Structural factors behind the UK divergence
The divergence is not purely seasonal. Several structural factors have suppressed UK hiring through 2026:
- Employer National Insurance increase (April 2026). The rate rose from 13.8% to 15% and the secondary threshold was reduced to £5,000 per employee. This increased the cost of every hire and hit labour-intensive sectors particularly hard. ONS notes employment fell for the fourth consecutive quarter through mid-2026.
- Professional and administrative services contraction. Indeed Hiring Lab identifies this sector - which drove the 2021-2023 recovery - as one of the most affected. It is also a large component of MORT's ATS feed, which skews toward tech, consulting, and professional roles.
- Post-pandemic vacancy normalisation. UK vacancies peaked around 1.3 million in 2022 and have declined steadily since. The 707,000 August 2026 reading represents a 45% reduction from peak and is the lowest since 2021, when the post-lockdown reopening boom was just beginning.
The KPMG/REC stabilisation signal, if it holds, would be a genuine positive. But as of the data covering the first week of September 2026, the ATS volumes that MORT tracks have not begun to reflect it.
What this means for UK job seekers right now
Fewer postings means more competition for each role. When MORT's ATS data showed 10,207 new UK listings per week in June 2026, a job seeker had a much wider pool to draw from. At 5,344 - roughly half that volume - the same number of candidates is chasing significantly fewer openings.
In this environment, application quality matters more than volume. A generic CV sent to 50 roles will perform worse than a well-matched application sent to 10. The roles that remain are being filled more selectively, with hiring managers able to hold out for closer matches.
MORT is an AI job-matching platform that scans thousands of company career pages, scores every job 0-100% for compatibility with your skills and experience, and generates a tailored resume for each application. In a market where relevance - not volume - wins, that scoring layer filters out poor-fit roles before you spend time on them and ensures the applications you do send are matched to the specific role.
The sectors that remain active in the UK despite the broader softening are largely tech, life sciences, financial services, and defence - roles posted through the ATS systems MORT tracks. Demand has not disappeared; it has concentrated.
What to watch next
Three signals will show whether UK hiring has genuinely turned or continues to soften:
- W38 ATS count (week of 7-14 Sep 2026). If postings recover from 5,344 toward 6,000+, that would be the first genuine week-on-week improvement outside the Bank Holiday transient. If they fall further, the downtrend continues.
- ONS September 2026 vacancies bulletin. The next ONS release will show whether the August reading (707,000) was a floor or an inflection.
- KPMG/REC September 2026 report. If permanent placement stabilisation turns into growth, that would typically precede ATS posting increases by four to eight weeks.
MORT publishes this analysis weekly. The MORT Job Market Report hub carries the current snapshot and links to each week's angle.
Frequently asked questions
Has UK hiring turned the corner in September 2026?
No. MORT's ATS feed recorded 5,344 new UK job postings in the week of 31 Aug-7 Sep 2026 - a new 15-week all-time low, -13.8% on the prior week and -47.6% below the mid-June 2026 baseline of 10,207. KPMG/REC survey data reports that permanent appointments "stabilised" after 45 months of decline, but this sentiment improvement has not yet translated into higher ATS posting volumes.
How many jobs are being posted in the UK right now?
MORT's full-feed ATS tracking recorded 5,344 new UK job postings in the 7-day window of 31 Aug-7 Sep 2026. ONS estimated 707,000 total UK vacancies in August 2026 - the lowest since 2021. The two figures measure different things (new postings to career pages vs total vacancy stock), but both confirm a weak market.
Why is UK hiring so weak in autumn 2026?
Multiple factors: the April 2026 employer National Insurance increase raised the cost of hiring; professional and administrative services (a large component of the recovery) have contracted; and the UK is working through a post-pandemic vacancy normalisation from a 2022 peak of ~1.3 million. Indeed Hiring Lab puts UK postings at -11% since January 2026 and -32% vs pre-pandemic.
How does the UK compare to other European job markets in September 2026?
The UK is the weakest major European market. France: -3.2% vs baseline, nearly recovered. Netherlands: +4.1% vs baseline, above baseline. Ireland: +0.5%, above baseline. Germany: -26.2%, flat. Spain: -14.4%, recovering. UK: -47.6%, new low. The post-summer recovery that arrived across Europe in W37 did not reach the UK.
What should UK job seekers do given the weak hiring market?
Focus on quality over volume. With fewer roles posted, hiring managers are more selective and can hold out for close matches. Applying to roles where you meet 70-80% of requirements with a tailored application outperforms high-volume generic applications. MORT scores every job for compatibility with your profile and generates a tailored resume for each application - designed for a market where relevance wins.
Part of the MORT weekly market report series
This post is part of MORT's weekly job market report, which tracks new job postings across 10+ countries and multiple ATS platforms each week. Each week's report includes a full data table and one angle post examining the most significant signal in that week's data.
Previous angle posts in this series:
- Does Hiring in France Pick Up After Summer? What the 2026 ATS Data Shows (W36, August 2026)
- What Jobs Are Companies Hiring For Right Now? (2026 ATS Data) (W26, June 2026)
Sources
- ONS: Jobs and Vacancies in the UK, August 2026 - 707,000 UK vacancies, lowest since 2021.
- ONS: UK Labour Market Overview, August 2026 - employment trends and quarterly changes.
- Indeed Hiring Lab: UK Mid-Year 2026 Hiring Trends Report - "under pressure and in transition"; -11% since Jan 2026; -32% vs pre-pandemic.
- KPMG and REC: UK Report on Jobs, August 2026 - permanent appointments "stabilised" after 45-month decline; temp billings rose.
- MORT ATS feed - proprietary full-feed count of new job postings to company career pages via ATS platforms (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, SmartRecruiters, TeamTailor, and others). 7-day rolling windows, country-coded. Not a sample.