From our office in Fitzrovia, I’m watching London businesses do something they haven’t done with confidence for years: commit to permanent hires.
The latest KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs, published on 10 October, backs up what I’m seeing. Permanent placements in London rose in September, as they did in the North and the Midlands, with only the South of England recording a fall. Nationally, permanent hiring grew at its fastest rate in four years. Meanwhile, temporary billings in London fell sharply, ending four months of growth.
For much of the past few years, London businesses have been plugging gaps with temps and interims while they waited for certainty. What I’m seeing now is employers deciding that the role they’ve been covering is one they need for the long term. That’s a real vote of confidence, particularly for the senior Executive Assistant and HR positions that sit right at the heart of a business.
It has been a long road. In July, the same survey reported that permanent placements had stopped falling nationally for the first time in 45 months, with London’s permanent hiring growth reaching a near four-year high.
At TalentYard, we specialise in PA, Executive Assistant, HR and business support recruitment, and the strongest demand we’re seeing in the capital comes from professional services, finance and private equity, healthcare, technology and private households. Across all of them, employers want assistants who can run processes and manage stakeholders, not just diaries.
I’d caution London employers not to assume this is an easy market, though. Candidate numbers are up, but exceptional assistants are still hard to find and quick to be snapped up. Our 2026 salary guide puts London Executive Assistants supporting directors and the C-suite at £50,000 to £75,000, with private and high-net-worth PAs earning up to £80,000 or more. Hybrid is now the norm, with most London roles three days in the office. The employers landing the best talent are the ones who move quickly, write a clear brief and offer genuine development.
With the Autumn Budget due later this month, I believe clarity on tax and employment costs will decide whether this momentum carries into 2027. I hope the Chancellor gives London’s employers the confidence to keep hiring.
