Legal Job Market Report – April 2025
Here is our summary of the current state of the UK legal job market.
Locum Recruitment – Quiet
Locum work is as ever quiet over Easter and has always been the same – the busy period is May to September. Conveyancing rates have remained higher due to demand (see our rate card below) – there is still the ongoing problem of firms wanting locums in offices, and locums not wanting to attend offices if possible. A quick look at the most recently posted roles shows fields of law include wills & probate, corporate and commercial contracts, commercial litigation, conveyancing and commercial property. Locum assignment updates here .
Permanent Recruitment – Quiet
Permanent roles have dropped off substantially and this is probably due to market conditions. We know from our law firm valuation and broker work that a lot of firms saw increases in turnover between 2021 and 2023, but less evident since 2024. With the stamp duty changes in April, firms are also holding back to see what the effect is going to be on the property market (which dictates a lot of legal recruitment planning). There is the continuing craziness emanating from the USA. Candidate registration numbers halved in March and this is a good marker for demonstrating a bit of nervousness entering the market.
Permanent vacancies can be viewed here: https://www.ten-percent.co.uk/vacancies/
Law Firms for Sale – Busy
If you are considering retiring or selling now is still a very good time to start thinking about it. The market remains busy with high demand for particular types of law firm. There remains a good flow of buyer enquiries coming into us daily for our firms for sale, although interestingly our list of firms is a lot smaller than usual due to recent deals completing and firms in advanced talks with buyers. Full details of firms currently for sale on our website – list updated daily. For valuations, exit planning or a confidential discussion about a potential sale or acquisition generally please ring 01824 780937 or email jf@jonathanfagan.co.uk. You can also download our free detailed guides on Buying a Law Firm and Selling a Law Firm .
Ten Percent Group statistics for March 2025 (2024 figures in brackets)
- New locum roles added – 26 (18)
- New permanent roles added – 10 (25)
- New candidates added – 38 (71)
KPMG & REC Report on Jobs UK – 11th April 2025
This is a monthly report prepared by KPMG following a questionnaire sent to over 400 UK recruitment consultancies, including ourselves.
- Substantial increase in staff supply amid redundancies
- Pay pressures remain historically subdued
- Demand for workers declines at softer, but still sharp pace
Commentary from Jon Holt, CEO of KPMG UK
“At a time when global uncertainty is peaking and businesses are assessing the impact of market volatility alongside rising employment costs, the latest data demonstrates how the economic reality continues to weigh heavy on the labour market. With cost management a focus, those employers who are hiring are focused on securing the best talent, and while the rate of pay inflation has improved from last month’s four-year low, growth in starting salaries remains below the historic average. Recent global events have put pressure on any growth prospects in the UK, so it is unlikely that we will see an improvement in the data in the near term. Therefore, redoubling employee engagement programmes and maintaining morale for existing employees, who will also be concerned about uncertainty in the market, will ensure that businesses are ready to take advantage of any green shoots when they do appear.”
Commentary from Neil Carberry REC CEO
“Today’s report shows that there were some signs of progress in the jobs market in March with permanent hiring in London ticking up a little, while the drops in other locations were not as sharp as those seen at the start of the year. The decline in temp billings at the UK-level also moderated. Given the substantial effects of the Government’s decision to increase payroll taxes hugely, these figures were if anything slightly better than expected and suggest that there is potential in the market. Nevertheless, activity in the UK jobs market has now been subdued for almost two and a half years. A cyclical hiring upturn was always likely in 2025, but the near-term prospects for this have been made all the more uncertain by the actions of the US Government in upending the global trade system. We can’t ignore the immediate and second-order effects of this context even if the UK is better positioned than many nations to weather the storm.”
