2025 On The Recruiter Blog – A Year In Review

Before we head into 2026, let’s take a look at what was on the recruitment menu in 2025.

Has Micro-Retirement Affected Your Business?

At the beginning of 2025, we asked you if you had come across a new buzzword that had been doing the rounds on social media platforms such as TikTok. That buzzword was micro-retirement.

Micro-retirement is a way of working that some Gen Z and Millennials have been embracing. A way of working that allows them to both experience the world of work and earn some money – and then taking extended periods of time away from the workplace so that they can enjoy themselves whilst they are young.

Some young people use their time off to travel, others use it to pursue passions and interests and others simply take the time to recharge their batteries before once more entering the world of work.

As an employer, were you affected by this new way of working? It could be that you recruited young staff who have since left their role to pursue their aim of micro-retirement.

In the article, we looked in detail about reasons why younger people are choosing micro-retirement. Employers can benefit by being aware of these reasons:

• Work burnout and mental health awareness
• Shifting career trajectories
• The impact of economic uncertainty
• The digital nomad lifestyle
• A shift in values such as valuing experiences over possessions

We looked at these reasons in more detail and then also looked at how young people are making micro-retirement work for them – the steps they take to give themselves enough money to be able to take that time away from working.

With more young people choosing this route for their working life, we looked at the potential challenges faced by employers. These could include:

• Challenges for workforce planning and continuity
• Higher staff turnover and therefore higher recruitment costs
• Cultural and team disruptions

But, of course, there are also some benefits:

• Increased employee satisfaction and, therefore, productivity
• Improved creativity
• Access to a more diverse talent pool
• Enhanced employer branding

To read our detailed article, take a look at how micro-retirement could affect your business.

How Employers Can Attract & Retain Women In STEM Careers In 2025

If you are an employer working in a field where STEM areas are predominant then you will likely be aware of how difficult it is to attract young women to apply for your vacancies. And not only that, once you have successfully recruited women to your roles, you then face the challenge of keeping them there.

The World Economic Forum states that gender diverse teams in the workplace are both more productive and more profitable so this makes it important for employers to address the lack of young women in their STEM roles.

Globally, women make up just 28% of the STEM workforce. This figure drops to 24% for the United Kingdom although it is an improving situation in the UK with the direct involvement of universities.

Our article looked at the challenges faced by women in STEM:

• Gender bias and stereotypes
• Lack of female role models in STEM
• Workplace culture
• Work-life balance

We also looked at strategies to attract women into STEM careers:

• Promotion of STEM education among girls
• Implement inclusive recruitment practices
• Fostering an inclusive workplace culture
• Providing clear career progression pathways
• Enhancing support for work-life balance
• Recognising and celebrating women in STEM

To read about these points in more detail and to take a look at some successful initiatives that are in place around the United Kingdom, take a look at our article about how employers can attract and retain women in STEM careers in 2025.

Reasons Why You Should Consider Salary Transparency In Your Job Ads

Earlier in 2025, we again addressed the issue of job ads. We have written various articles over the years about what should and what should not be included in your job ads and how best to write them.

Your job ad is often the first port of call for potential applicants for your vacancies so it is important to get that wording right so that you attract the type of young talent you are looking for. It saves both time and money and gives you a better chance of retaining that talent afterwards.

So, should you be transparent about the salary you are able to offer so early in the application process? This article gave you reasons why you might want to consider it.

Read, here, in more detail about why you should consider salary transparency in your job ads with the focus on these following points:

• It enhances pay equity
• It boosts your reputation as an employer
• It can help to streamline your recruitment process
• It encourages competitive salaries
• It empowers young applicants, giving them a position from which to negotiate
• It can boost both morale and staff retention in your workplace
• It supports diversity and inclusivity
• It improves the streamlining of your application process

How Covid-19 Changed The Way We Work

2025 and Covid-19 is still making its effects felt. And in this article, we looked at how Covid-19 changed the way in which we work.

Whilst lots of temporary changes needed to be made as we all reacted to the pandemic, many changes have remained in place to this day. And the pandemic also acted as a catalyst for changes that have now come into place that might have only occurred much further down the line.

• The acceleration of remote working since Covid-19 – this is perhaps one of the most obvious changes and many companies now have remote work options as part of their set up. There are some challenges to this norm, these days, with some companies now having a back to office mandate. Maybe 2026 will reveal whether or not this policy has proved beneficial or detrimental. It is also said, however, that Gen Z are leading the charge back to the office.
• The rise of digital collaboration tools – more remote work meant management teams needed to act fast to implement ways of collaborating and communicating on a remote basis. This has led to a range of digital collaboration tools that employers have available to them.
• A change in workplace culture – The pandemic highlişghted the importance of wellbeing, inclusion and empathy in the workplace.
• Rethinking the need for office space – Fewer employees commuting to the office daily means a reduction in the need for lots of office space. Employers have become more creative in their use of different spaces.
• Changing attitudes towards work-life balance – The pandemic forced a shift towards flexibility with young people looking for this flexibility and preferring a hybrid model along with a supportive workplace.

Read more here about the effects of Covid-19 on the workplace and how it might continue to affect the workplace through 2026.

Key People Management Skills In The Workplace

The phrase, ‘people leave the management, not the job’ is often said and back in June, we asked whether this could be true of your workplace. Getting people management can be tricky but it is key if your staff retention is going to remain at a good steady level.

In this article, we looked in detail at what makes a good people manager so that your company can benefit from this in the long term. The areas we looked at in this article include:

Communication skills:

• Clear and transparent communication – prevent misunderstandings.
• Active listening – listen to employees’ concerns, feedback and suggestions and acting on that.
• Emotional intelligence – manage your own emotions as well as recognising those of others.
• Empathy & social skills – if your company has a diverse staff you need to be able to relate to how others are feeling .

Leadership & vision:

• Strategic thinking
• Being a good role model

Conflict resolution & negotiation:

• Mediation skills
• Negotiation

Delegation & empowerment

• Matching skills and tasks
• Supporting autonomy

Performance Management

• Setting objective
• Feedback 6 appraisal

Diversity & inclusion

• Understanding bias
• Inclusive leadership

Change management

• Communicating change
• Supporting transition

Coaching & development

• Career conversations
• Coaching skills

As you can see, this was a comprehensive list! And if you want more information about any of the points listed above, take a look at our full article on key management skills in the workplace and also how you can develop these skills.

How To Tailor-Make Your Hybrid Model In The Workplace

As we looked at how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the workplace earlier in the year, we said that the hybrid working model was now more the norm.

In this article, we looked at how you can tailor-make your hybrid model so that it works well for your company. One size does not fit all.

We went into more detail with the following steps you can take:

• Establish clear hybrid working policies
• Prioritise communication and transparency
• Assess how you measure performance
• Foster including and equality
• Invest in technology and infrastructure
• Support employee wellbeing and work-life balance
• Cultivate a culture of trust and autonomy
• Offer ongoing training and development
• Build and maintain and positive workplace culture
• Regularly review and evolve your hybrid setup

For more information about the measures listed above, you can read our article about how to tailor-make your hybrid model in your workplace.

How Employers Can Empower Neurodiversity In The Workplace

Neurodiversity is increasingly recognised both in the workplace and in society in general and, in this positive shift towards recognition, that means employers can now consider ways in which neurodiversity can be empowered in the workplace.

Recognition of – and a better understanding of – neurodiversity means employers can unlock a potentially vast, untapped talent pool. And with more and more young people coming out of education with a diagnosis and an understanding of their neurodivergence, now is the time for employers to embrace and harness that.

In this article, we set out some steps that employers can take for empowering neurodiversity in the workplace.

• Assessing your recruitment and onboarding process – thinking about any changes you can make so that you don’t lose out on that potential young talent. Making your job ads and onboarding more accessible.
• Assessing your company culture for psychological safety and transparency – have you got a company culture where all employees feel free to be themselves?
• Implementing practical and personalised adjustments – no sweeping changes in one-size-fits-all manner.
• Building internal and external support systems – employee-led networks, for example.

For more details about this topic, take a look at our full article about how to empower neurodiversity in your workplace.

The 4 Jobseeker Personas – Understanding How People Search For Work

Have you heard about jobseeker personas? As an employer, understanding jobseeker personas – having an awareness about how people search for work – can help you to adapt your recruitment process so that you can access the young talent you are looking for.

As with those of other ages, young people are leaving educatiın at various ages and with different motivations and levels of confidence. And they also face their own challenges.

In this article, we looked at the four common jobseeker personas. These are:

• The Ambitious Climber
• The Purpose Seeker
• The Security Seeker
• The Transitional Explorer

For each of the jobseeker personas, we looked at their traits.

• What are their motivations?
• What are their typical job search behaviours?
• What challenges are they likely to face?

And then we looked at how you can attract each of the different types of jobseeker persona to your roles along with a key takeaway for each one.

For more details about each of the jobseeker personas and for an understanding of why understanding these personas matters, take a look at our article.

Why Greening The Workforce Is Important For UK Employers

Are you greening your workforce? Are you aware of the importance of greenşng your workforce?

The push towards the government’s net-zero agenda and the rising demand for sustainability skills means companies that build a culture of environmental stewardship can benefit in a number of ways such as improved reputation and stronger talent attraction.

This article looked at the various aspects of ‘greening’ your company. We looked at:

• Why greening your workforce is important – resilience and future proofing.
• What it means to ‘green’ your workforce – integrating sustainability into every area of your company culture.

We then looked at how you can implement a green workforce strategy. This included the following steps:

• Setting the strategic foundation
• Reviewing your current workforce and identifying gaps
• Adding a green focus to your recruitment and onboarding process
• Assessing your training, development and upskilling

On to embedding sustainable behaviours and operational practices. What actions you can take in the following areas – remote or hybrid working and green incentives.

For much more about greening your workforce, take a look at our detailed article about why greening the workforce is important for UK employers.

Chancellor, Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget Statement

In this article, we looked at the main takeaways from the Autumn Budget Statement – how it might affect employers going forward.

Depending on the size and type of company you are operating, the following might affect you – whether negatively or positively – as we head into 2026:

• National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage increase
• Ongoing government investment in the infrastructure and construction sectors
• Ongoing government investment in the healthcare sector
• Ongoing government investment in digital infrastructure and technology
• Continued investment in green energy, sustainability and engineering
• Support for SME Apprenticeships
• Good and bad news for business rates
• A freeze on fuel duty
• Increase in drink duty

Give yourself a recap of the Autumn 2025 Budget Statement via our article.

Into 2026…

Join us in 2026 for more recruitment news and discussion. And in the meantime, if you are looking to recruit school leavers, students and graduates to your vacancies, take a look at how we at e4s can help you.