The confidence gap

After a prolonged period of hiring caution, the UK labour market is showing signs of life again. Employers are moving, slowly but surely, back into hiring mode. But with cautious optimism comes a new challenge: the confidence gap - a disconnect between the intent to hire and the ability to do so effectively in today’s talent landscape.

If your team is finding it harder than expected to attract and secure top talent, you’re not alone. Here’s what’s really happening in the market, and what you can do about it.

Hiring has restarted, but it’s stalling mid-way

The intent to hire is there. Vacancies are open. Job descriptions are being written. But many processes are stalling part-way through.

Why? Internal indecision is a major culprit. Some businesses are chasing a “perfect fit”, while others are stuck waiting for the green light from everyone involved or budget sign-off. The result? You lose time, progress stalls, and the candidates you actually want to hire walk away.

What to do:
Speed and clarity are your competitive advantages. Set clear internal alignment early, define must-haves vs. nice-to-haves in the job spec, and give hiring managers the confidence to act quickly when the right person appears.

Candidates are moving, you have to move faster

Top candidates are open to change, but they won’t wait around. In 2025, time-to-hire is a dealbreaker.

When your hiring process stretches over weeks or even months, you're not just losing time. You're losing talent. Counteroffers, competing employers, and a simple loss of interest are pulling strong candidates out of the running.

What to do:
Audit your hiring process. Where are the bottlenecks? Can interviews be consolidated or moved faster? Could pre-sign off on offer terms avoid delays at the final hurdle? Every day counts.

Candidate confidence has shifted

The UK talent market has changed. Candidates want more than a payslip, they want purpose, progression, and leadership they trust. Feeling valued is a key driver in employee satisfaction. Flexibility is no longer a perk, it’s a baseline. And poor candidate experiences are being called out more than ever.

What to do:
Be transparent from the start. Share the “why” behind the role and the team. Talk openly about career paths and working culture. If your process involves four stages and a task, say so up front – and the reasons for this.

EVP matters more than ever

A strong Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is now essential and yet, many UK companies are still leaning on outdated messaging, generic claims that don’t resonate with the modern-day expectations of candidates and some simply have no EVP at all.

If your brand doesn’t clearly communicate why someone should choose you over a competitor, you’ll lose out, regardless of salary.

What to do:
Revisit your EVP. Does it reflect today’s reality of what candidates actually want? Can your team clearly articulate what makes your company a great place to work? If not, it’s time to invest in this.

The skills gap is real

Many job descriptions are now asking for “three people in one”, unrealistic expectations that turn off even qualified candidates. At the same time, internal debates about whether to hire junior and train vs. hire senior and pay a premium are creating roadblocks.

What to do:
Align your hiring with the current UK market reality. Talk to recruiters, find out what is reasonable, and be honest about your non-negotiables. If the role truly requires senior expertise, be ready to invest. If not, build a plan to develop the right person in the role. It might be that the workload actually calls for more than one hire.

There’s a difference between opening a vacancy and being ready to hire. Readiness is about internal alignment, transparency, and pace. It’s about understanding what candidates want in the current UK market, and being confident in what you can offer in return.

At Henderson Scott, we work closely with clients to not just fill roles, but to rebuild hiring confidence with strategies rooted in real market insight, and what’s actually working today.

Hiring confidence isn’t just about making an offer - it’s about knowing how to make it stick. If you’re ready to reset how you hire in 2025, let’s talk.