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The Val Wade Brief
Complete Edition
October 2026
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Professional Services Built Environment Higher Education Arts & Heritage |
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Issue 4 — October 2026
Welcome to The Val Wade Brief. This month: permanent hiring finally moves back into growth, the next wave of employment law lands on 30th October and the Arts Council’s first new National Portfolio round in four years opens its doors.
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October brings a genuine milestone for our industry. For the first time since autumn 2022, recruiters across the UK reported a rise in permanent placements — and London was one of the regions leading it. After nearly four years of employers keeping permanent hiring on hold, that’s worth pausing on.
It’s also a busy month in the diary: the Arts Council’s National Portfolio round opens on 20th October, the new government delivers its first Budget on 28th October and new harassment and trade union duties take effect on 30th October. As always, this issue brings together what we’re seeing in the market, sector by sector, alongside the candidate side of it — who’s available right now and what’s shaping their decisions.
We’re incredibly proud to have been helping organisations and candidates build successful partnerships for nearly 40 years. While the world of recruitment continues to evolve, one thing hasn’t changed: our belief that great recruitment starts with listening, understanding and building genuine relationships.
Best wishes,
Emma Darbyshire
Managing Director, Val Wade Recruitment
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The Employment Rights Act timetable has shifted since our last issue, so here is the confirmed picture. One correction to September’s Brief: the harassment and trade union measures start on 30th October rather than 1st October, the written statement on union rights has moved to 1st January 2027 and shift-notice and cancellation-payment rights are now expected in 2027 alongside guaranteed hours.
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In force from 1st October: six-month tribunal time limit
Most employment tribunal claims can now be brought up to six months after the event, rather than three. Workplace decisions stay open to challenge for twice as long, so clear notes of performance conversations, grievances and dismissals — and a record-retention policy that keeps them long enough — matter more than ever.
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30th October: “all reasonable steps” and third-party harassment
Employers must now take all reasonable steps, not just reasonable steps, to prevent sexual harassment and a new duty covers harassment of staff by third parties such as clients, visitors and suppliers. Reception, front-of-house, visitor services and events teams are the obvious place to start: risk assessments, refreshed training and clear reporting routes. The same date gives qualifying trade unions a right to request access to workplaces.
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Already catching anyone hired since 1st July: six-month unfair dismissal qualifying period
The new rules take effect on 1st January 2027, but they work retrospectively: anyone with six months’ service on that date gains unfair dismissal protection straight away. In practice that means everyone you have hired since 1st July 2026 is already on course to be covered. The qualifying period falls from two years to six months, the cap on compensatory awards is removed and dismissing someone for refusing key contract changes becomes automatically unfair in most cases. Probation terms, reviews and documentation for recent starters are worth checking now.
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Last month we reported that the 45-month slide in permanent placements had finally stopped. August’s data takes the story a step further.
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Numbers to know
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First Rise Since 2022
UK permanent placements increase (KPMG/REC, August 2026)
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5th Straight Month
Temp billings grow (KPMG/REC)
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Fastest Since January
Growth in permanent starting salaries (KPMG/REC)
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Permanent hiring moves into growth — with London leading
The KPMG/REC Report on Jobs recorded the first rise in permanent placements since September 2022, with growth in London and the Midlands offsetting falls in the South and North of England. Temp billings grew for a fifth month, at one of the fastest rates in over three years, as employers kept leaning on contract and short-term support alongside a cautious return to permanent hiring. Pay pressure picked up too: starting salaries rose at their quickest pace since January, driven by competition for skilled candidates and rising living costs. The caveats matter — overall vacancies fell for a 34th consecutive month and candidate numbers rose at their fastest rate in three months, much of it linked to redundancies. With the Budget on 28th October, the question now is whether this confidence broadens across more sectors.
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Business Support Salary Benchmarks — London 2026
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| Role |
Salary Range |
Day Rate |
| EA / PA |
£45,000–£60,000 |
£175–£230 |
| Chief of Staff |
£75,000–£100,000+ |
£300–£400 |
| Office Manager |
£38,000–£52,000 |
£160–£230 |
| Team Administrator |
£28,000–£38,000 |
£120–£170 |
| Receptionist / FOH |
£28,000–£34,000 |
£120–£150 |
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Sources: Lily Shippen 2026 Salary Survey, Robert Half, Morgan McKinley. With starting salaries now rising at their fastest pace since January (KPMG/REC), offers pitched at the lower end of these ranges are increasingly losing out to competing bids. Candidates with strong AI-assisted workflow skills continue to command a premium.
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Sector Intelligence: Professional Services
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Finance and accounting buck the vacancy trend
Accounting/Financial was one of only two sectors, alongside Engineering, where permanent vacancies rose in August; demand fell across the other eight categories KPMG/REC tracks. In professional services firms that tends to pull on the roles around finance teams too — team administrators, EAs to finance directors and operations coordinators — and London’s return to permanent growth is adding to the competition for the best people.
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Probation is about to carry real weight
From 1st January 2027 employees gain unfair dismissal protection after six months rather than two years. That applies to everyone hired since 1st July 2026, so for anyone who joined over the summer or this autumn the probation period is now the real assessment window. We’d suggest agreeing clear objectives at offer stage, booking structured reviews at one, three and five months and keeping notes as you go — backed by a thorough, well-evidenced selection process at the start.
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Sector Intelligence: Built Environment
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Construction still contracting, but job losses are easing
The S&P Global UK Construction PMI slipped to 44.3 in August, a 20th consecutive month below the 50 no-change mark, with housebuilding falling most sharply. There were brighter signs underneath: commercial work contracted at its slowest rate since January, job cuts eased and use of subcontractors rose for the first time in around two years — a sign firms are resourcing flexibly rather than committing to permanent headcount. Engineering was also one of only two sectors with rising permanent vacancies in the latest Report on Jobs.
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Architects cautious, with London confidence dipping
RIBA’s Future Workload Index edged down to +1 in August and both its permanent and temporary staffing indices slipped back into negative territory. London saw a sharp fall in workload expectations, although the commercial sector returned to positive territory. For practices, that points to careful, well-targeted hiring; for experienced practice managers, studio coordinators and PAs, it’s a market where the right move needs to be well judged.
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Sector Intelligence: Higher Education
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Record demand, concentrated at the top
UCAS data 28 days after results day show a record 127,400 UK 18-year-olds — 43% of this year’s starters — heading to higher-tariff universities, while a record 13,220 met the conditions of their firm offer and then chose not to go at all. With students concentrating at the top of the sector, many medium- and lower-tariff institutions are again short of their recruitment plans.
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Finances keep professional services teams under review
The Office for Students expects more than four in ten English universities to face deficits and the international student levy — estimated to cost the sector around £570m from 2028 — is still to come. Ministers are also nudging institutions towards regional collaboration. Expect restructures, shared-service projects and interim cover to keep shaping HE professional services hiring, alongside a steady flow of experienced administrators, PAs and student services staff open to moves across sectors.
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Sector Intelligence: Arts & Heritage
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National Portfolio 2028–33 opens on 20th October
Arts Council England’s applicant guidance is now live. Arts organisations, museums and libraries can apply for £50,000 or more a year over five years, with applications open from 20th October to 15th December and decisions expected in summer 2027. ACE expects demand to significantly exceed the funding available and will judge the balance of the portfolio as a whole, not just each application. Expect a surge in demand for bid writers, development managers and finance support over the next ten weeks. Talk to us →
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Museums: “transformation, not incremental change”
That’s the message from museum leaders in Arts Council England’s Museums Overview 2026, published alongside the NPO guidance. It highlights severe financial pressures and workforce shortages and names business transformation and workforce development among six priority areas. In London, the Assembly has also been examining the case for and against admission charges. Museums planning change programmes will need project, commercial and people expertise to deliver them.
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More candidates are coming to market: recruiters reported the fastest rise in available staff for three months in August, often linked to redundancies and worries about job security. Temporary candidate supply, by contrast, is growing at one of its slowest rates in over three years — so strong interim and temp talent is getting harder to secure.
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Arts & Heritage
NPO season means strong demand for bid-writing, development and finance talent between now and mid-December. Candidates with successful funding applications behind them will have options, so early engagement pays.
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Higher Education
Restructures continue to release experienced faculty administrators, PAs, HR coordinators and student services staff — many of them open to moving into arts, charity and professional services settings.
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Built Environment
With architects’ staffing outlook turning negative and contractors favouring flexible resourcing, experienced support staff are more available — but they are weighing stability carefully before they move.
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Professional Services
Competition for strong EAs, PAs and team administrators is sharpening as London permanent hiring returns to growth. The best candidates are moving quickly, so speed and a clear salary position win.
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What candidates are looking for right now
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• Job security and a stable, well-funded employer
• Hybrid expectations that are clear and applied consistently
• Pay that keeps pace with living costs
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• A quick, decisive process with prompt feedback
• Genuine development and progression
• Support to use AI tools well in their role
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Ready to hire, or looking for your next role?
We’d love to help. Val Wade has been placing office administration, digital, business and customer support professionals across our specialist sectors for over 40 years.
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Get in touch |
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