UK Summer Hiring Recovers as Sports and Cultural Events Lift Seasonal Demand

Seasonal employment in the UK has shown signs of recovery this summer, with warmer weather and a busy schedule of sporting, music and cultural events helping to increase demand for workers.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), which tracks the UK labour market each month, reported a notable increase in seasonal hiring across areas including hospitality and tourism compared with summer 2025.

The improvement comes after concerns last year that financial pressure on employers could lead to continued reductions in seasonal recruitment. Summer roles have traditionally provided young people with an entry point into the workforce.

This summer, job advertisements in hospitality and tourism have increased by double digits. However, the overall number of active and newly added job postings fell slightly in July compared with June.

REC chief membership and innovation officer Maxine Bligh said that entry-level employment has not recovered fully, but noted that opportunities in hospitality, tourism and construction are higher than they were a year ago.

The UK recorded just under 1.67 million active job postings in July, representing a 7.7% increase from the same month last year, although the figure was 2.6% lower than in June.