Recruitment agencies proved the most effective hiring channel in 2025, followed by employee referrals and company careers portals, with LinkedIn playing an increasingly important role.

In our view, this reflects the predominance of passive candidates in the market, particularly for specialist roles.

Finance transformation professionals within professional services were often secured through specialist recruiters or - for those who could invest the time - in targeted LinkedIn outreach, while retail and pharmaceutical organisations successfully leveraged referral programmes to attract mid-level analysts with ERP and data expertise.

We believe firms that continue to invest in proactive sourcing strategies will be best placed to access limited talent pools in 2026.