Vacancysoft & APSCo Marketing Sector Trends Report | September 2026

Marketing recruitment across the UK is forecast to remain broadly flat in 2026, rising by just 0.5%, but the headline masks a widening divide between London and the rest of the country. Greater London vacancies are expected to increase by 6%, lifting the capital’s share of marketing hiring from 55.1% to 58.1%. Across the rest of the UK, vacancies are forecast to fall by 6.2%, reducing its share to 41.9%. Between January and August, marketing vacancies were 4% lower than during the same period of 2025, with London up 1.6% while the rest of the country fell by 10.8%. This extends the London-led pattern already visible earlier in the year, when the capital continued to dominate while regional performance remained mixed.