12.11.2025

How to deal with a slowdown in recruitment

Recruitment in manufacturing has slowed in the third quarter. 

Vacancies in the sector have dropped to 46,000, the lowest level this year. And 7% of manufacturers say they could not fill a single vacancy this quarter, up from less than 2% last year.

It is the first major sign of hiring hesitation since the post-pandemic rebound. Rising business costs, skills shortages and uncertainty around the Employment Rights Bill are making many employers think twice before expanding their teams.

But while hiring has slowed, the people challenges faced by organisations have not stopped.

Workforce planning doesn’t stop when recruitment slows

This is a crucial moment for manufacturers to take stock. Your focus should shift from hiring new talent to getting the most from your existing teams.

That means:

  • Reviewing whether your current workforce has the skills you need for the next 12 to 18 months.
  • Understanding where you’ll struggle to deliver the work if recruitment remains tight.
  • Identifying how you can develop, retain and reorganise your people to meet future demand.

Employers who plan ahead will be better placed to move quickly when market conditions improve. Those who wait risk losing both talent and competitiveness.

What you should do next

  1. Check your workforce strategy: Review headcount, critical roles and what positions and skills your workplace needs in the future. A simple workforce plan helps you see where you can redeploy people rather than replace them.
  2. Audit your current people processes: Small inefficiencies in recruitment, onboarding and performance management cost more when budgets are tight. A quick HR audit can highlight issues before they become compliance or cost risks.
  3. Build flexibility into your HR capacity: If recruitment freezes make it hard to hire internally, consider interim or fractional HR support to maintain momentum on projects like pay reviews, restructures or culture change.
  4. Get leadership alignment: Bring your senior team together for a workshop where you create a vision for what success looks like under tighter conditions and how your people strategy connects to it.

How Make UK can help

We work with manufacturers to turn recruitment challenges into an opportunity for smarter workforce planning. Our experts support employers with:

  • HR strategy and workforce planning to make sure you’ve got the right skills and people in place to meet your business goals.
  • HR audits to identify any gaps in the workforce and reduce risk.
  • Interim or fractional HR support for those times when you need to increase your capacity without adding to your long-term costs.
  • Vision workshops that bring leaders together to plan the next phase with confidence.

We help manufacturers focus on what they can control: clarity, capability and compliance. Concentrating on these issues means you are ready to grow again when conditions improve.

If you want support shaping your workforce plans with confidence, get in touch. Email [email protected] or call 0808 168 5874.