September’s data points to a decisive swing toward UK contract recruitment.
APSCo’s latest Hiring Trends report with Bullhorn shows contract roles up 10% year on year and 18% month on month, the highest level recorded in 2025.
Contract placements also rose, up 11% month on month and 8% year on year.
Permanent roles climbed 27% month on month to pre-summer levels, although they remain 7% below September 2024.
Permanent placements rose 12% from August and are broadly in line with last year.
What is really happening
The market has leaned into contingent solutions.
Businesses are using contract resource to move critical projects forward while permanent headcount stays closely controlled. This is a rational response to budget cycles, ongoing cost focus, and the need to keep delivery on track.
From what we are seeing at Astute, decision speed is improving in project led work.
When scopes are clear and IR35 is decided early, time to start compresses quickly.
The result is fewer stalled projects and less risk to energisation dates, turnarounds, or outage windows.
What the rise reflects
“The rise in contract roles and placements reflects the agility businesses are adopting in response to economic uncertainty and evolving workforce demands,” says Andy Ingham, SVP Sales, EMEA & APAC.
That aligns with Astute’s experience.
Many employers are prioritising flexibility with a view to converting high performers to permanent when budgets allow.
What employers are doing differently
- Clarifying scopes and deliverables early to enable faster sourcing and clean IR35 decisions.
- Choosing contract first where deadlines are fixed or revenue linked, for example grid connection or commissioning.
- Locking in Day 1 readiness, including inductions, medicals, and site access checks, to avoid first week drift.
- Pricing projects to market reality. Rates for scarce skills have held firm through Q3.
- Using talent pools per discipline so repeat roles are filled in days, not weeks.
Sector snapshot from Astute desks
Power
We continue to see demand around outages, planned maintenance, EfW upgrades, and controls modernisation.
Contractor mobilisation is often the fastest route to protect generation schedules.
Typical asks include EC&I technicians, control room support, and permit issuers for outage peaks.
Renewables
Solar and BESS remain busy.
Piling rig operators, HV commissioning engineers, SAPs, and SCADA controls specialists are in short supply.
Where scopes are defined and site readiness is strong, start dates can be within 7-14 days.
We are also seeing steady needs in onshore wind balance of plant and asset management.
Nuclear
Safety case support, work pack planners, project controls, and commissioning are steady.
New build packages require structured onboarding and clear governance.
Contractors with recent nuclear site experience shorten ramp up times significantly.
Pricing and lead times, what is realistic now
Lead times vary by compliance requirements and site rules.
Where right to work, medicals, and access are prepared in advance, a one to two week mobilisation is achievable.
The biggest sources of delay are late IR35 determinations, incomplete documentation, and shifting scopes.
Rate wise, scarce skills continue to command a premium.
Employers that share milestone based deliverables rather than open ended duties typically see better candidate engagement and more predictable cost.
Advice for employers
- Decide contract versus permanent based on deadline risk, not preference.
- Write a short statement of work that lists deliverables, milestones, and acceptance criteria.
- Make IR35 determinations early and communicate them clearly.
- Pre book medicals, inductions, and training slots before offers are signed.
- Share site logistics and point of contact details on day one to keep momentum.
Advice for candidates
- Keep compliance documents current, including certifications, tickets, and medicals.
- Present outcomes rather than duties, for example MW commissioned, outages delivered, or OFTO works completed.
- Be upfront about availability, travel flexibility, and kit familiarity.
- Know your day rate range and what drives movement, for example remote locations or night shifts.
- Prepare quick reference contacts so offers are not held up.
Astute’s view of Q4
We expect contract hiring to remain pivotal through Q4, especially in project environments where slippage has real cost.
Permanent hiring should continue to stabilise, with conversion of proven contractors into permanent roles where budgets allow.
The common thread is clarity and speed.
Teams that decide quickly and brief cleanly will move first on the best talent.
Data points you can use in planning
From Astute’s recent programmes, contractor onboarding is typically one to two weeks when documentation is clean.
Our fastest placements have completed in under seven days where scopes, rates, and site access were aligned.
The highest demand roles we are seeing right now by volume include solar piling operators, HV commissioning engineers, EC&I specialists in EfW, and project controls in nuclear.
Typical assignment lengths run three to six months, with high extension rates on multi-site rollouts.
Astute can help
If you need to mobilise multiple contractors quickly, our People Plus solution provides a managed approach.
That includes scoped briefs, pre cleared talent pools, compliance workflows, and weekly reporting against milestones.
For single role needs, our desks can source and onboard specialists on short notice.
We can also advise on market rates, IR35, and documentation checklists that remove delay.
Closing thoughts
The market has not flipped to a hiring surge, but it is resilient.
The sharpest movement is in contract, where speed and clarity win.
If you are planning work for Q4, now is the time to brief scopes, confirm rates, and reserve the skills you need.
Hiring managers, send us your scope and timeline. We will map a sprint plan and recommended resourcing model for a fast start.
Candidates, upload your CV and note your earliest availability so we can match you to the next project.
