In today’s business landscape, organisations generate and collect vast amounts of data every day. Traditionally, this data was stored and managed on-site in physical servers located within offices. However, as businesses look to increase flexibility, improve scalability and enhance performance, many have recognised that older on-premises environments can limit growth and innovation.

As a result, cloud and data migration remain some of the most common topics of conversation with the organisations we engage with.

While many have already embarked on their migration journey, others are still in the planning stages, often citing cost, technical capability, stakeholder buy-in and legacy system dependencies as key challenges.

This reflects a broader market trend. Organisations are no longer simply moving infrastructure, they’re redesigning how data is stored, governed, accessed and leveraged across their business. Yet many still underestimate the complexity involved in successfully transitioning from on-premises environments to the cloud, leading to challenges such as skills gaps, integration issues, accessibility concerns and unexpected costs.

That’s why we’ve put together this blog, taking our experience when working with clients and what we’re seeing in the market to provide you with our 6 Top Tips for a Successful Cloud Migration. 

Let’s get started!

1 – Start with a Clear Business Outcome

The most effective migrations are driven by business objectives, not just technology change. Whether your goal is cost optimisation, scalability, resilience or even enabling AI and analytics, clarity upfront is critical.

So before beginning any migration, we’d recommend you start by setting clear answers to questions like:

• What problem are we solving?
• What does success look like?
• How will we measure ROI?

2 – Avoid a “Lift and Shift” Mindset

Simply moving legacy systems into the cloud without modernising them runs the risk of transferring any existing inefficiencies into a more expensive environment.

We’d recommend viewing cloud migration as a data transformation, not just a data relocation, so before you get started why not take the opportunity to:

• Reassess your existing architecture
• Remove any technical debt
• Optimise workloads
• Modernise your applications where appropriate

3 – Prioritise Data Governance and Security Early

Security and governance shouldn’t be retrofitted after migrating your data to the cloud. If you want your migration to be as successful as possible, then you should think about embedding security into your migration strategy from day one.

This means looking at strong controls around:

• Access management
• Data classification
• Compliance
• Encryption
• Monitoring

This comes especially important for multi-cloud and hybrid environments.

4 – Understand your Data Landscape

Don’t underestimate how fragmented your data estates might have become over time. Poor visibility at the start of a migration can cause major issues further down the line. So before migrating it’s essential to:

• Identify critical data sources
• Understand dependencies
• Remove duplicate or redundant data
• Improve data quality

5 – Invest in the Right Skills and Capability

Having the right talent in place can often mean the difference between a migration succeeding or stalling. Whilst technology is a critical component of any migration programme, people ultimately determine whether the strategy is successfully delivered.

Across the market, one of the most common challenges we see is organisations underestimating the breadth of skills required for a successful migration. Cloud and data transformation programmes rarely rely on a single individual or team, they require a combination of technical expertise, leadership and stakeholder engagement.

Some of the most in-demand professionals we support clients with include:

• Cloud Architects
• Data Architects
• Data Engineers
• Platform Engineers
• DevOps Engineers
• Cloud Security Specialists
• Programme and Project Managers

The most successful organisations combine these specialist skills with strong internal leadership and effective collaboration between technology and business stakeholders. This ensures that migration programmes remain aligned to business objectives while maintaining technical excellence throughout delivery.

From our experience, organisations that invest in the right capability early in the process are better positioned to manage risk, overcome technical challenges and realise value from their cloud investment more quickly.

6 – Take a Phased Approach

Large-scale migrations rarely succeed as “big bang” programmes. Incremental progress typically delivers better long-term outcomes, which is why we’d suggest having a phased roadmap to allow you to:

• Reduce operational risk
• Learn and adapt during delivery
• Demonstrate early value
• Minimise disruption to the business

Ready for a successful cloud and data migration?

We’re well placed to get you the talent you need, fast. Whether it’s Cloud Architects and Data Analysts, or DevOps and Infrastructure Engineers, Sanderson can ensure you’ve got access to the right specialist cloud and data talent.

So, if you’re about to embark on a cloud and data migration and would like to chat about how to successfully achieve this, please do get in touch.

Any other questions on Cloud Migration? Drop me a message at [email protected]

Now more than ever, businesses across the UK are prioritising cyber security to protect their operations from increasingly sophisticated threats.

And as demand for cyber expertise grows, the conversation is shifting from defence to resilience.

In this blog, we explore the evolving cyber landscape and why upskilling cyber capability is no longer a nice-to-have, but a business-critical requirement.

The 2026 Cyber Threat Landscape

The cyber threat landscape in 2026 can be defined by increasing sophistication and growing risk. Organisations are no longer dealing with isolated threats but instead are faced with the reality of cybersecurity becoming a strategic business issue.

With the pressure to adapt intensifying, the result is a market shaped by three fundamental shifts:

 AI vs AI

It’s no longer just human attackers that organisations need to defend against. Threat actors (that’s any individual or group that intentionally attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in systems) are increasingly leveraging generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) for hyper-personalised phishing attempts and automated exploits.

This is forcing many organisations to race to build effective AI enabled Security Operations Centres (SOCs) that can use their own AI to automatically detect, prioritise and respond to cyber threats faster and more accurately than traditional, manual approaches.

Supply Chain Risk Now a Boardroom Issue

Supply chain security is now critical. This is a problem being elevated to a boardroom issue because vulnerabilities in interconnected partner networks can rapidly escalate into major businesses and cause national-level threats, all of which boards need to be on top of to ensure continued confidence in their organisations.

We’re seeing this especially in regions like Bristol, with its strong aerospace, defence and fintech ecosystems becoming increasingly interconnected meaning a vulnerability in any part of the supply chain can quickly escalate.

Regulatory Squeeze

With evolving frameworks like the UK Cyber Security & Resilience Bill, DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) and NIS2 (Network and Information Systems Directive 2), there are now stricter regulatory expectations around cyber risk management, incident reporting and operational resilience than ever before.

These regulations are making cyber security a core business obligation. They place legal accountability on leadership teams to protect not only their own systems but also their supply chains, critical services and stakeholder trust.

Why Upskilling Cyber Security is Now Non-Negotiable

To keep on top of these changing market conditions and to protect business operations from the evolving cyber threat landscape, organisations don’t just need to hire, they need to hire the right talent to build their capability to avoid risks like:

• Cyber insurance barriers: Without strong controls in place (e.g. MFA, internal capability), insurers may refuse cover entirely.
• Deepfake fraud: We’re seeing a surge in AI-driven impersonation attacks exposing gaps in human and technical controls.
• Operational downtime: The impact of ransomware can now mean weeks of disruption, something many SMEs simply cannot afford.

How are Organisations Building their Cyber Capability?

To up the ante on their cyber capability, we’re seeing organisations work to embed cyber-security skills and practices across their workforce by moving from isolated security teams to a more organisation-wide model of resilience. Examples of this are:

Managing Risk

Organisations are adopting Zero Trust models, requiring continuous verification for every access request (e.g. MFA), while also shifting to cloud-native security, where systems are built and run in the cloud. This includes embedding security talent into IT and DevOps teams to ensure systems are secure by design from the outset.

Retention Through Development

Rather than relying solely on hiring, organisations are building internal capability through training and clear career pathways. This upskilling then strengthens their security while also improving retention in a highly competitive talent market.

AI Governance

As AI adoption grows, we’re seeing organisations implementing governance frameworks and training to ensure their models are secure and their data is protected. This expands cyber responsibility beyond IT into a broader, cross-functional risk management effort.

How we Support Organisations Solve these Challenges with Contract Cyber Talent

In today’s world, speed and precision matter when it comes to hiring. That’s where contract expertise can deliver real value to organisations like yours through:

Speed to Market

Unfilled cyber roles leave organisations exposed, particularly during incidents or transformation programmes. We provide rapid access to pre-qualified, security-cleared professionals, significantly reducing time to hire and ensuring critical risks are addressed without delay.

Specialist Expertise

Cyber security increasingly demands niche, hard-to-find skillsets across areas like DevSecOps, cloud security, threat detection and incident response. We connect organisations with proven specialists who can immediately add value, bringing deep expertise that would take months to hire or build internally.

Flexibility

Organisations need to respond quickly to audits, incidents or regulatory change. Our contract talent model allows teams to scale capability up or down as needed, providing agility without the long-term commitment of permanent hires.

We’ve recently helped place roles like:

• Interim & Contract Leaders: CISOs, programme leads and transformation specialists.
• Cyber Transformation Teams: End-to-end project teams to modernise security environments
• Niche Skill Delivery: IAM, SOC Analysts, Cloud Security Architects (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Governance & Compliance Experts: Supporting organisations through evolving UK and EU regulation.

Could we Help you Upskill your own Cyber Capability?

Cyber threats aren’t slowing down; they’re evolving rapidly and so should your strategy. If your security approach was built for 2024, you may already be behind.

But it’s not too late to change that.

At Sanderson, we combine deep market insight with a strong network across the UK, helping organisations secure the right talent, at the right time, getting them fully prepared for any cyber threat.

So if you’re keen to have a conversation around how you can build resilience through the right cyber capability, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected]

Insurance companies operate in highly complex and heavily regulated environments meaning they don’t just need to hire talent; they need to hire specialists.

Whether it’s understanding complex risk trends, meeting strict regulatory requirements like Solvency II or making sense of huge amounts of data, insurance companies need people with specific expertise to keep their operations running smoothly.

This need for specialist talent is especially clear in actuarial teams and even more sought-after in roles like Internal Model Specialists. These specialists require a strong understanding of how different asset classes behave under varying market conditions, alongside the ability to combine actuarial expertise with advanced stochastic and risk modelling techniques. They must assess how portfolios respond across a range of scenarios from expected market movements to severe stress events enabling insurers to better understand their risk exposure, capital requirements and financial resilience.

These roles are specialised and hard to fill, but insurance companies working with Sanderson trust us to deliver. Just as our London team did for this leading life insurer…

What was the challenge?

A market-leading life insurance provider came to us when they were looking to hire a candidate for a highly specialised interim actuarial position, an Internal Model Specialist. This was a role they needed to fill to support a critical enhancement to their Solvency II Internal Model framework.

The client needed us to identify an experienced contractor capable of designing and implementing an explicit interest rate volatility risk framework, including swaption-driven dynamics, calibration methodology, dependency modelling and even governance-ready documentation.

What was our solution?

It was clear from the outset that this role demanded highly niche expertise. Due to the technical complexity and scarcity of suitable contractors in the market, speed and precision were critical.

So, we quickly mobilised to conduct a thorough search that was broken down to look for candidates with experience covering:

• Solvency II / Solvency UK Internal Models
• Interest rate and swaption modelling
• Yield curve and PCA frameworks
• Correlation and dependency modelling
• Internal Model governance and validation

What was the result?

Within just 24 hours of receiving the brief, our team delivered a fully vetted shortlist of highly credible and niche actuarial specialists each with directly relevant Internal Model and derivative modelling experience, exactly what the client was looking for.

Key outcomes included:

• Highly technical quantitative requirements broken down into targeted searches
• 3 candidates shortlisted within just 24 hours
• 100% shortlist-to-interview conversion
• Successful placement completed within one week
• Full process managed end-to-end with minimal client downtime

The client was able to hire the specialist talent they needed, and the successful candidate brought extensive experience delivering governed Internal Model enhancements within life insurance environments including interest rate volatility calibration and capital model dependency design.

Could we help you achieve similar outcomes?

If you’re looking for a recruitment partner to help you source business-critical appointments in tight turnaround times, we’re here to help.

Whether for its actuarial talent as niche as this role, or other insurance specialities you need to move quickly on to stay competitive, then don’t hesitate to reach out on [email protected] and let’s have a chat about how we can help.

Insurance hiring has begun 2026 stronger than expected, with consistent growth across technology, security and transformation roles.

The market has even seen an acceleration in investment as regulatory pressure, geopolitical risk and AI adoption increasingly converge and we’re now looking at a market preparing for change as Insurers seem to be increasingly hiring for long-term structural change rather than short-term growth.

But how has this translated into the rest of financial services hiring?

At Sanderson we always have our finger on the pulse of the latest changes in the market so that we can help you better understand how new trends might impact your hiring plans and then support you to turn these into opportunities when it comes to your financial services recruitment.

So, with that in mind, we’re pleased to have produced this new Report with VacancySoft that sums up the latest trends we’ve been seeing in the UK Financial Services market during April.

Have a sneak peek at some of the highlights below and scroll down to grab your copy!

Insurance IT and AI Demand

Demand for insurance IT and AI professionals rose sharply through Q1, with March vacancy levels nearing record highs.

Rise in Cybersecurity and Operational Resilience

Cybersecurity recruitment has accelerated, with London accounting for over half of insurance IT security vacancies in Q1.

Insurance Hiring Strengthens

Hiring activity strengthened across the wider insurance market throughout Q1, with London seeing the most visible uplift. Increased claims complexity and continued investment in transformation capability are supporting demand.

Regional Shifts and Senior Hiring Trends

While London remains dominant, the North West has seen growing specialist hiring as middle office functions expand. Scotland also recorded increased executive hiring, reflecting a renewed focus on leadership.

If you would like a more detailed overview of these trends, including the latest market data, monthly vacancy totals and insight into the top job roles by sector, then please do download a copy of the full Report via the form below.

Have any further questions? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, we’re well placed to help.

Lately we’ve seen a clear and sustained uplift in day rate contractor demand in the change and transformation space, a trend which has been very much welcomed after a prolonged period of caution in 2024 and early 2025. In fact, our own placement figures reflect this trend with March 2026 placements up 31% compared to March 2025.

But what’s driving this?

Here we explore the key factors causing this growth, as well as diving into the top trends that are currently being felt in the contract change and transformation market.

What trends have we seen in the market?

Stronger demand for change contractors

There has been a stronger demand for change contractors across the whole of the UK over the last few months. This is being brought on by many firms now mobilising and delivering on more projects, creating the need for more contract-based resources.

From a candidate perspective, this demand is meaning we’re seeing fewer quality contractors available, and those candidates that are looking for a new role often have multiple offers running simultaneously due to demand.

Changes in skills requirements

The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy is becoming even more prevalent in the change and transformation market and is now a skill expected by many clients.

However, while AI is changing how change professionals work by helping them carry out administrative, repeatable and manual tasks, it hasn’t changed what they’re accountable for.

Soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, critical judgement and communication, are something we’re seeing as a key requirement from many clients, as while AI can support manual or analytical tasks, soft skills remain essential because accountability, judgement and leadership cannot be delegated to technology.

What contract roles are the most in demand right now?

Growth is being seen across specific roles in the contractor space, the most in-demand right now are:

• Standard level Project Managers and Business Analysts
• Hands on, standalone PMO Leads
• Business Change and Readiness Managers
• Change contractors with strong data experience
• Change specialists with M&A or integration experience
• Contractors with general Insurance expertise
• Contractors with Finance Transformation experience

What business programmes are causing this growth?

New programmes requiring specialist talent

Many organisations are now commencing large transformation portfolios and prioritising critical programmes that all require specialist interim capability.

This is a trend Sanderson have seen firsthand, as we have been placing candidates in contractor roles for initiatives such as:

• Delivering expert interim expertise into a leading UK retailer on a Cyber & Identity enhancement programme

• Delivering contract change resources to a major UK home improvement retailer to support numerous workstreams including supply chain transformation, customer loyalty and online marketplace transformations

• Mobilising a specialist project team for a major UK charity to support the replacement of their core EPOS platform across all UK locations

Significant contractor hiring programmes

Large financial services organisations are starting to undertake significant contractor hiring campaigns.

For example, in the past few months alone we’ve experienced this having onboarded 40 interim change professionals, including 15 Project Managers and 25 Business Analysts into a leading British wealth management company. This has removed a substantial volume of experienced contractors from the market, which has significantly impacted the market.

M&A driven change activity

A notable rise in M&A driven change activity, particularly across Financial Services, is having a strong impact on the availability of contractors.

Examples of this impact in action include:

• Ageas’s Saga and Esure integrations being extended to Q3 2026, prolonging contractor demand.
• Aviva’s Direct Line integration driving increased contractor hiring into early 2026.
• Further contractor demand expected in late 2026 from NatWest’s integration of Evelyn Partners combined with Zurich’s acquisition of Beazley.

Summary

Overall, the contract market is continuing to recover and gather momentum, with contractors in certain specialist areas becoming increasingly difficult to secure. In fact, growth in this sector is now so pronounced that recently we’ve seen candidates receive more simultaneous opportunities than at any time since the post-COVID hiring peak of 2021–2022. Rates for in-demand roles have also increased by around £50-100 per day over the last six months.

This is causing many organisations to act quickly to lock in contractor talent ahead of any potential further tightening in the market.

Our advice off the back of these trends?

Remember the importance of human skills such as empathy, stakeholder engagement and communication during the hiring process. These are key traits needed to deliver change successfully, and while subject matter knowledge is important, focusing on these human skills will often mean you secure a better-quality resource during the interview process.  Frequently, the best CV on paper, doesn’t translate into the best candidate in practice.

And finally, keep your processes as streamlined as possible and feedback to candidates quickly to allow for prompt scheduling, especially if you have more than one interview stage.

Want any further advice?

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected] if you’d like to chat about these contractor hiring trends and how they might impact your own organisation, the Sanderson team are well placed to help source the best contractor and interim project talent.

We partnered with a major Outsourced Service Provider operating largescale customer service and complaint handling functions within the Financial Services sector. Their environment demands a constant pipeline of high-quality talent to maintain service excellence across high volume teams.

The Challenge

The client required ongoing recruitment support to deliver around 1,000 Customer Service Representatives and Complaint Handlers per year.

The Solution

We embedded a dedicated team within the client’s operation and built a fully scalable recruitment framework designed specifically for volume Customer Service roles, including a targeted agile attraction strategy, candidate support and passive talent engagement.

The Result

Fill in the form below to read on and discover how we successfully helped them improve their candidate experience and reach 1300 hires per year.

When you need to strengthen your talent strategy and get the right people on board to achieve your goals, sometimes you need a helping hand that works with you flexibly to address your recruitment needs.

And that’s exactly what People’s Partnership, a leading UK not-for-profit financial services company who specialise in providing workplace pensions, were looking for.

The Challenge

Their team were searching for a provider who would be able to really get under the skin of their business to understand what makes them tick and then work with them side by side to build a talent solution that would stand the test of time, as well as removing their current pain points.

The Solution

This is exactly what the Sanderson team are experts in. We thrive on absorbing the culture of each of our clients, being able to act as an extension of their brand and then design and deliver bespoke solutions that successfully meet client challenges and objectives.

After collaborating with the team at People’s Partnership, we quickly established that a Project RPO would be a perfect fit for them, working as a flexible solution to act has a helping hand to their in-house teams, but leaving them firmly in the driver’s seat.

The Result

Fill in the form below to read on and discover how we successfully helped them bolster and upskill their customer service teams…

Securing the right senior leader is one of the most important decisions an organisation can make. Whether you’re replacing an existing leader or expanding your management team, the implications for organisational performance, culture and long-term strategy are significant.

The challenge?

The senior talent market is often small, highly competitive and will likely require careful handling. The hiring team can also face additional pressures, from confidentiality requirements, to assessing behavioural leadership competencies, as well as ensuring they’re reaching passive talent in the market.

That’s where a dedicated partner like Sanderson Executive Search can lend a hand.

In this blog we explore the most common challenges organisations encounter in senior hiring, and how our tailored search methodology helps you overcome them with confidence.

Leadership Competency & Long-Term Fit

A challenge often encountered with senior leadership hiring is that the technical expertise alone to “do” the role isn’t enough at senior levels. There are other important factors to ensure the right fit and alignment to the role and organisation such as values, company culture and strategic capability.

Leadership style is another important factor that needs to be considered as a leadership candidate needs to be able to not only have subject matter expertise but also the ability to inspire and lead others, a completely different skill set that needs careful consideration.

The search also needs to encompass the candidate’s future career motivations to ensure a long-term fit in the role. Identifying those who will genuinely benefit from position and where it meets their non-financial motivators.

This is why with Sanderson Executive Search, every candidate is assessed through four core lenses that shape long term success:

Objective Fit

We evaluate skills, experience, achievements, and overall technical credibility.

Leadership Fit

We explore leadership behaviours, cultural alignment, and strategic maturity.

Motivation

We identify what drives the candidate and whether your opportunity meets their long-term goals.

Practical Considerations

We assess logistical factors and any barriers that could affect commitment or onboarding.

The more senior the role, the more critical leadership fit and motivation become. Our structured assessment therefore ensures you appoint a leader who thrives, not just one who qualifies.

Developing & Delivering Compelling Propositions

Senior leadership roles are often complex and harder to fill than other positions, made even more challenging thanks to how rare these candidates are. These searches require an equally thoughtful and consultative search process, with hiring teams needing clear insight into:

• What sort of candidates the market can realistically deliver
• How your opportunity compares to others on the market
• What will motivate the right candidates
• How to engage leaders who are not actively looking for a new role

A compelling and well-defined proposition then needs to be developed into order to adequately explain the role, and to attract the right candidates.

To overcome this challenge, it can be helpful to work with a partner who will take the time to:

• Consult with hiring teams when building the proposition to ensure it stands out in the market
• Build a compelling brief that is then delivered directly to the target candidates
• Ensure the proposition is clear so that candidates can fully understand the full scope of the opportunity

This ensures that every outreach, especially to passive candidates, resonates with authenticity and impact.

Navigating Geographical Constraints

Geographical constraints are another challenge often encountered during a leadership search. Location can be a limiting factor for certain leadership roles, depending on factors such as:

• Regional market maturity
• Industry clusters
• On site leadership requirements
• Level of travel required with the role
• Relocation feasibility

Our search methodology therefore explores both local and wider talent pools, identifying individuals with regional ties or who could benefit from relocation.

Confidential Hires

Another common challenge when hiring for a leadership role is the need to keep the search confidential. There are many reasons why these searches need to remain discreet and, in these situations, hiring teams need a search partner who can operate with discretion while still engaging high quality talent.

Our approach supports confidential hiring by allowing you to:

• Tactfully access both passive and active senior candidates through a carefully managed network of talent
• Maintain full confidentiality while ensuring a thorough market search
• Tailor outreach, messaging and process steps to minimise risk while remaining flexible to any organisational sensitivities.

Our track record in confidential searches is built on refined processes that protect organisational reputation while still securing exceptional leaders.

Business Critical Appointments

And finally, leadership hires often carry business critical weight. Hiring teams conducting a search for a leadership position need a process that is transparent, robust, and evidence based.

Our methodology provides exactly that. We’ll carry out:

Consultation

We work closely with you to understand the context, challenge and success criteria, shaping a tailored solution that best reflects what you need. With us, this is very much a two-way process, combining our market expertise with customer perspectives.

Research & Identification

We comprehensively map the market using primary research to identify all relevant candidates. Care is taken to explore parallel industries and potential capability rather than purely track records to broaden talent diversity. We also prioritise a human approach here to map a clear picture of exactly where talent pools exist, instead of focusing purely on online sources which often only see a proportion of the market.

Engagement

We then approach talent proactively with a personalised, compelling proposition designed to convert interest, not just awareness. This is particularly important for candidates who are not actively looking.

Assessment

Every potential candidate, including internal talent, is assessed through in depth interviews, profiling tools and cognitive analysis to provide a clear, objective view.

Delivery

We’ll then provide a shortlist of the strongest leaders the market has to offer, supported by insights and ongoing collaboration at every stage. At each stage we collaborate in a test and learn approach, involving the organisation each step of the way which allows us to adapt to client needs, ultimately securing a better result together.

Needing a Helping Hand with Insights & Advice

When embarking on a senior leadership hire, the hiring team shouldn’t have to navigate the complexity these searches bring alone.

Our team provides market led insight throughout the process, helping teams understand:

• Where talent exists
• How supply and demand might influence the search
• What candidates value today
• How wider industry shifts may impact future leadership needs

This isn’t simply about filling a role, it’s about securing leadership capability that supports the long-term success of organisations.

Ready to Simplify Senior Hiring?

If you’re looking to reduce complexity and secure a leader who truly elevates your organisation, we’re here to help.

Get in touch today to discuss your senior talent challenges and how we can support your next executive appointment.

Are you in the market to deliver real business value from your contingent workforce?

Perhaps you’ve started exploring Managed Service Programmes (MSPs) as talent solution?

You might be wondering where to start and are looking for a resource to help guide you through the process and to answer any questions on if this is the solution for you.

That’s why we’ve put together this new resource. A one-stop-shop of answers for all the questions you might have when considering deploying an MSP for the first time in your organisation such as:

• What might trigger a business to implement an MSP
• What are the key stages in a successful MSP deployment
• What you should consider when selecting an MSP partner
• Why stakeholder engagement is critical for MSP success
• How can you measure the success of your MSP programme

Grab your copy in the link below and if you’d like to chat further then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

The UK insurance market has recently shown a clear divide in the number of vacancies available between London and the regions as economic pressures and technology reshape hiring.

In this blog we breakdown which regions across the UK currently have the biggest share of insurance vacancies as well as exploring reasons why some regions have a greater proportion of these roles than others.

Which region has the most Insurance vacancies?

London remains the largest centre for insurance vacancies, accounting for 44.3% of these specialist positions.

This is helped by the capital continuing to be the home of major underwriting, broking and claims operations as well as benefiting from international connections and a concentration of head offices for some of the biggest Insurance firms operating within the UK.

What are the regional trends in Insurance vacancies?

Outside of London however, trends in Insurance positions available vary widely.

The South East, West Midlands, South West and East of England have all seen significant falls in these vacancies recently, reflecting automation of routine roles and weaker regional investment.

Looking to the North East and Northern Ireland, these are regions that have also experienced a sharp decline in advertised insurance roles.

By contrast, the North West and Scotland have seen growth in the number of Insurance vacancies advertised. This has been supported by targeted public investment and regional innovation hubs.

Is company activity impacting Insurance vacancies?

Insurance company activity is mirroring these trends. For example, Aviva’s £3.7bn acquisition of Direct Line Group is expected to reduce duplicate roles across regions and so will impact the number of vacancies available outside of the capital.

Another example is how RSA, now rebranded as Intact Insurance, has started centralising some functions into larger hubs, thereby reducing the amount of insurance positions within the regions.

Conclusion

The result of these trends is a UK insurance sector that’s become increasingly focused on London, with selective regional growth where investment, policy support and company strategy combine.

But looking into the rest of 2026, how can the southern regions rebound? Or is this trend of Insurance vacancies now centralised in London, with some Northen regional activity irreversible?

To find out more about trends in the Insurance industry, why not download our UK Insurance Labour Market Trends: Year in Review Report which will arm you with market-leading data into this dynamic market such as the most in-demand skills in the industry right now and insight into companies to watch based on their current hiring practices.