Welcome to the very first edition of The Val Wade Brief — your monthly update on the trends, legislation and market conditions shaping recruitment in your sector.
At Val Wade Recruitment, we spend every day talking to employers, candidates and industry professionals, so we’re always hearing what’s happening in the workplace. Whether it’s changes in employment law, shifts in the recruitment market or the latest hiring trends, there’s always something new to share.
That’s exactly why we’ve created this newsletter.
Each month, we’ll bring together practical insights, market updates, recruitment tips and a few stories from the world of work that we think you’ll find useful. We’ll also keep you up to date with what’s happening at Val Wade and highlight opportunities across the sectors we specialise in.
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 is our belief that great recruitment starts with listening, understanding and building genuine relationships.
Best wishes,
Emma Darbyshire Managing Director, Val Wade Recruitment
Legislation & Compliance
October 2026: Expanded Harassment Prevention Duty
From October, the Employment Rights Act requires employers to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent all forms of harassment in the workplace, a significantly higher bar than the current standard. This applies across your workforce, including temporary, part-time and agency staff. If you haven’t already reviewed your policies and training, now is the time. Firms in legal, financial services and professional services, where client-facing and support teams interact closely, will want to act ahead of the deadline. We’re happy to advise on how this affects the roles you’re recruiting for.
October 2026: Tribunal Time Limits Double to Six Months
Employment tribunal claim windows extend from three to six months from October, meaning employees have twice as long to bring a claim after leaving. This increases the risk window for any hiring or off-boarding decisions made now. It’s worth ensuring your onboarding, probation and exit processes are documented clearly and consistently, particularly when using agency or temporary staff. Solid hiring practice from the outset remains the best protection.
Already in Force: Day-One Parental Rights & SSP Reform (April 2026)
Since April, parental and paternity leave became day-one rights, meaning new hires are eligible from their first day in post. Statutory Sick Pay also changed: the lower earnings limit was removed, so all employees now qualify for SSP regardless of pay level. Both changes affect how you assess the true cost of a hire and should be factored into your workforce planning conversations. If you’d like to talk through implications for specific roles, get in touch.
Market Intelligence
A more selective hiring market is creating a real opportunity for organisations that move decisively. Here are the signals worth knowing about this month.
Numbers to know
3-yr high
Temporary billings growth (KPMG/REC, June 2026)
30%
of businesses plan to grow business support teams in 2026
44 months
consecutive fall in permanent placements (KPMG/REC)
Flexible hiring is the story of 2026, and it’s a strategic choice, not a stopgap
The KPMG/REC Report on Jobs recorded the strongest growth in temporary billings in over three years in June 2026, while permanent placements recorded their 44th consecutive monthly decline. This isn’t just employers cutting costs. Many organisations are using temporary and contract staff to trial new roles, manage workload peaks, and maintain capacity while permanent headcount decisions are delayed. For support and administrative functions, this is creating a genuine market for well-placed interim staff across all four of our specialist sectors.
London Salary Benchmarks 2026 , Office & Business Support
Role
Salary Range
Day Rate
EA / PA (senior)
£45,000–£65,000
£200–£280
Office Manager
£38,000–£52,000
£160–£230
Team Administrator
£28,000–£38,000
£120–£170
Receptionist / FOH
£26,000–£34,000
£110–£150
Finance Administrator
£30,000–£42,000
£130–£185
Source: Robert Half 2026 UK Salary Guide. Ranges represent 25th–75th percentile London market data. Candidates with verified AI/automation skills command an additional 5–10% premium.
Sector Intelligence: Professional Services
Legal hiring remains active in growth practice areas
UK legal services revenues passed £55bn for the first time in 2025, and hiring in corporate/commercial, employment law and dispute resolution remains solid into 2026. Employment law teams in particular are busy: the Employment Rights Act changes are generating advisory and litigation work at pace. Mid-level and senior legal PAs, practice coordinators and BD support professionals are in demand across London firms. If your team is growing in these areas, the current candidate market is competitive , move quickly on strong applicants.
In-house compliance, data and operations roles on the rise
Across consultancies, law firms and financial services, in-house compliance, data governance and operations coordination roles are among the fastest-growing support functions. Regulatory pressure , from FCA requirements to GDPR enforcement to the Employment Rights Act , is creating demand for business services staff who combine administrative precision with regulatory awareness. These candidates are in genuine short supply; if you’re building out this function, getting your briefing to a specialist recruiter ahead of the wider market is worth it.
Sector Intelligence: Built Environment
Infrastructure pipeline remains strong , and is driving demand for project support
While private development activity is subdued, public-sector infrastructure frameworks , roads, utilities, hospitals, energy networks , continue to provide a solid workload pipeline. Firms actively delivering on these programmes need project coordinators, document controllers, bid support and practice management professionals. Arcadis’s Summer 2026 market view notes that long-term workforce scarcity risks in the sector are real , organisations that invest in quality support staffing now are better positioned to scale when private demand returns.
Future Homes Standard and Building Safety Regulator: compliance is now a people issue
The Future Homes Standard came into force in 2026, and the Building Safety Regulator’s Gateway process is now a live delivery factor for any residential project. Both create demand for staff with compliance awareness , from practice managers who understand the regulatory context to project administrators who can manage Gateway submissions and audit trails. This is a niche Val Wade understands well; if you’re looking for office support with built environment experience, we can help.
Sector Intelligence: Higher Education
Temp and fixed-term contracts filling the gap , and creating an opportunity
Across the sector, universities are maintaining operations through fixed-term and temporary contracts rather than committing to permanent headcount during a period of financial review. For institutions navigating this carefully, working with a specialist agency removes the overhead and risk associated with direct hiring , and gives access to candidates who understand the HE environment. We’re actively placing business support, EA, student services and faculty admin professionals on both temp and perm contracts across London and the south-east.
Pay negotiations: a 2% offer is on the table for 2026/27
A 2% pay offer for HE staff has been tabled for the coming academic year, and UCU resistance is expected. With real wages essentially flat after inflation, the sector faces a retention challenge as well as a recruitment one , experienced professional services staff are increasingly open to moves into the private sector or professional services, where pay has grown faster. If you’re hiring support functions, the current moment offers access to well-qualified HE professionals who may not have been available twelve months ago.
Sector Intelligence: Arts & Heritage
£127.8m Arts Everywhere Fund: new roles are coming
The government’s first wave of funding has distributed £127.8m to 130 institutions across arts, museums and libraries , including £25.5m through the Museum Estate and Development Fund. Capital investment of this scale generates demand for project support, communications, visitor experience and development fundraising staff as institutions expand capacity. If your organisation is a recipient, or if you’re planning to apply in the next round, now is a good time to think about the people you’ll need to deliver on it. Talk to us →
Bridge Theatre under new ownership , and Plymouth’s The Box wins Museum of the Year
Trafalgar Entertainment’s acquisition of London Theatre Company (including The Bridge Theatre and Lightroom) is the sector’s biggest ownership change of the year and typically brings a period of organisational review followed by targeted hiring across admin, ticketing and front-of-house operations. Meanwhile, Plymouth’s The Box was awarded Art Fund Museum of the Year , a recognition that drives visitor demand, funding applications and, in turn, staffing needs.
The Candidate Market
There is strong, qualified talent in the market right now across our specialist sectors, and the conditions to attract it are better than they’ve been for some time.
Arts & Heritage
Experienced arts administrators, membership and development coordinators, visitor experience managers and events professionals are available now , many with dual skills in digital content and community engagement. Strong pool of candidates with major institution backgrounds.
Higher Education
University restructures are releasing high-quality professional services professionals , HR coordinators, faculty administrators, student services staff and PA/EA talent with strong stakeholder management experience. Many are open to sector moves.
Built Environment
A strong bench of project support coordinators, document controllers, bid writers and practice managers is available across architecture, construction and property. Candidates with Building Safety Regulator process knowledge are particularly sought-after.
Professional Services
Mid-level business services talent , legal PAs, practice coordinators, BD and marketing support , is entering the market following consolidation across law and Big Four accountancy. Well-trained, immediately deployable and actively looking.
What candidates are looking for right now
✦ Hybrid working with clear office expectations set upfront
✦ Roles with genuine development or progression opportunity
✦ Organisations with a clear mission or values, especially in culture and HE
✦ Salary increases of up to 10% for full-time on-site roles
✦ Speed, the best candidates are off the market within 1–2 weeks
✦ Support for AI tool adoption in their role
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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