As we move through the middle of 2026, the UK Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability recruitment market presents an interesting picture.
On the surface, many of the headline labour market statistics suggest a softer employment market. Permanent hiring activity has slowed, vacancy levels have continued to be sluggish from the record highs seen after the pandemic, and employers continue to navigate economic uncertainty, rising employment costs and evolving regulations.
However, beneath those headlines, the reality is more nuanced.
At Irwin and Colton, vacancy volumes during the first half of 2026 have remained broadly consistent with the same period last year. Candidate activity has increased significantly, while placement levels have remained stable. Organisations are still hiring, but they are doing so more carefully, taking longer to make decisions and placing greater emphasis on securing the right skills and experience.
The result is not a weaker market. It is a more selective one.
Interestingly, while many organisations have become more cautious around overall headcount growth, investment in senior Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability leadership has remained resilient. During the first half of 2026, approximately one in five of the placements by Irwin and Colton were connected to senior leadership, governance or strategic appointments. These have included Director and Head of Function roles, group-level governance positions, and an increasing number of senior Building Safety and regulatory leadership appointments.
This reflects a continued focus on strengthening governance, assurance and organisational capability, even as broader hiring activity becomes more measured.
H1 2026 at a glance
Some of the key themes we've observed during the first six months of the year include:
Vacancy creation broadly flat year-on-year
Candidate registrations up more than 23%
Placements remaining stable despite increased candidate activity
Approximately 20% of vacancies focused on Contract or Interim appointments
Strong demand across infrastructure, building safety, manufacturing and facilities management
Continued investment in senior HSE and governance leadership
Together, these trends point to a market that remains active but increasingly selective, where process, speed and clarity are often determining hiring outcomes.
The wider UK Labour market
The broader labour market provides important context.
According to the latest REC and KPMG Report on Jobs, permanent placements have continued to decline throughout 2026, while temporary billings have increased at their fastest rate for more than three years. Candidate availability has risen significantly, driven by restructuring activity, redundancies and increased caution among employees regarding job security. At the same time, overall vacancy levels have continued to soften, particularly within permanent hiring.
Many employers appear to be prioritising flexibility, with contract and interim solutions helping businesses manage uncertainty while maintaining momentum on key projects and programmes.
Our own data reflects this changing dynamic. Vacancy creation during the first half of 2026 remained broadly stable year-on-year, while candidate registrations increased by over 23%. Placements remained marginally higher compared to the same period in 2025.
This combination suggests that organisations are still recruiting, but that hiring processes are becoming more competitive and more selective. More candidates are entering the market, but employers are investing more time in benchmarking talent, conducting additional assessment stages and ensuring every hire aligns with longer-term business objectives.
Contract and Interim recruitment
Contract and interim hiring has remained a significant feature of the market during the first half of 2026, accounting for approximately 20% of the vacancies managed by Irwin and Colton.
As organisations continue to balance growth ambitions with economic uncertainty, many are using interim and fixed-term appointments to access specialist expertise, support major projects and deliver change programmes. Demand has been particularly strong across infrastructure, building safety, manufacturing and sustainability.
With employers increasingly prioritising flexibility and speed to hire, contract and interim recruitment is expected to remain an important talent solution throughout the second half of the year.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing has remained one of the more resilient areas of the HSE recruitment market during the first half of 2026.
Hiring activity across food manufacturing, FMCG, chemicals, logistics and industrial manufacturing has remained relatively consistent, despite ongoing economic uncertainty and increasing pressure on operating costs. Most organisations continue to recruit for critical Health, Safety and Environmental positions, although hiring decisions are being scrutinised more closely than in previous years.
A recurring theme throughout 2026 has been caution around long-term investment and workforce planning. Ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, disruption across global supply chains, and concerns around future energy costs have all contributed to a more measured approach to decision-making. While these factors have not significantly reduced hiring demand, they have increased the level of scrutiny applied to every new appointment.
At the same time, many organisations are asking more from their HSE teams. It is increasingly common to see responsibilities extending beyond traditional health and safety into areas such as facilities management, sustainability, wellbeing, quality and, in some cases, security. This reflects a wider trend of businesses looking to maximise value from existing headcount while maintaining high operational and compliance standards.
The profile of the successful HSE professional is also evolving. Technical competence remains essential, but employers are increasingly prioritising individuals who can influence senior stakeholders, build strong relationships across operations and drive behavioural and cultural change. The ability to translate technical requirements into practical business outcomes has become a key differentiator.
For candidates, stability has become an increasingly important consideration. While career progression and salary remain important drivers, many professionals are placing greater emphasis on long-term security, strong leadership and employers with a clear strategic direction.
For employers, the message remains consistent: organisations that are realistic about salary expectations, clear about role requirements and able to move decisively continue to secure the strongest talent.
Construction and Infrastructure
Construction and infrastructure continue to represent some of the strongest areas of demand within the HSE market.
Data centres remain one of the UK's fastest-growing construction sectors, creating sustained demand for health and safety professionals capable of operating in technically complex and high-hazard environments. At the same time, major infrastructure programmes, including AMP8 investment across the water sector, HS2 and continued investment in nuclear energy, are driving significant recruitment activity across project delivery, contractor management and operational safety disciplines.
The AMP8 regulatory period alone is expected to deliver more than £100 billion of investment across the UK water industry over the next five years, creating substantial demand for health, safety and environmental professionals across both client and contractor organisations.
Alongside investment-led growth, regulatory change continues to reshape the sector.
The Building Safety Act continues to influence hiring activity across the industry, while the Building Safety Regulator and future proposals for a Single Construction Regulator are increasing focus on governance, accountability and competence.
One trend we have seen accelerate throughout 2026 is the demand for senior leaders capable of operating at the intersection of regulation, governance and operational delivery. Many of the Building Safety and regulatory appointments we have supported this year have been focused less on technical compliance and more on creating organisational confidence, strengthening assurance frameworks and improving engagement with regulators and key stakeholders.
As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, organisations increasingly require leaders who can translate complex requirements into practical, business-focused solutions.
Property and Facilities Management
The property and facilities management sector has experienced a notable increase in hiring activity during 2026.
Facilities management providers continue to expand service delivery across larger portfolios, increasing demand for regional and national health and safety professionals. Building safety remains a dominant theme, particularly within residential property, social housing and mixed-use developments.
Professionals with direct experience of Building Safety Act compliance, Safety Case development and engagement with the Building Safety Regulator remain among the most sought-after candidates in the market. Fire Safety expertise also continues to command a premium, particularly where organisations are seeking to strengthen governance, reporting and regulatory readiness.
While candidate activity has increased more broadly across the market, genuinely experienced building safety specialists remain in short supply.
For many organisations, the challenge is no longer recognising the importance of building safety. It is finding professionals with the practical experience to navigate increasingly complex regulatory requirements.
Corporate Sector
Within corporate environments, the remit of health and safety continues to broaden.
While regulatory compliance remains essential, organisations are increasingly focusing on resilience, culture, governance and organisational wellbeing. Recent geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain disruption and economic volatility have reinforced the importance of organisational resilience and emergency preparedness.
As a result, many organisations are reviewing their approaches to business continuity, crisis management and operational risk.
At the same time, employee expectations continue to evolve. Flexible working, strong leadership, meaningful work and organisational culture remain important drivers of employee engagement and retention. However, we have also seen a noticeable shift in workplace expectations during 2026, particularly for senior leadership positions. Many organisations are increasing office and site-based requirements for senior Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability leaders, with four or five days on-site becoming more common. This reflects a desire for closer collaboration with executive teams, greater visibility across operations and stronger engagement with key stakeholders.
Health and safety leaders are therefore being asked to balance strategic leadership with visible operational presence, particularly in organisations where culture, governance and organisational change remain key priorities.
The most successful organisations are increasingly viewing health and safety not as a compliance function, but as a strategic enabler of performance, culture and long-term sustainability.
Sustainability and Environmental Leadership
Sustainability continues to be a major area of investment and strategic focus.
The UK's commitment to energy security, decarbonisation and infrastructure investment continues to generate demand for environmental and sustainability professionals across energy, utilities, manufacturing and construction. Investment in nuclear, renewable energy and low-carbon technologies is creating new opportunities while also introducing new regulatory and operational challenges.
At the same time, expectations around sustainability performance continue to rise.
Employees, investors and customers are increasingly scrutinising corporate sustainability commitments, with growing focus on transparency, accountability and measurable outcomes. Organisations are therefore seeking sustainability professionals who can move beyond reporting and support genuine organisational transformation.
The connection between sustainability, safety and organisational culture is becoming increasingly apparent, particularly as businesses seek to build trust, strengthen engagement and demonstrate long-term responsibility.
Leadership hiring remains resilient
While broader recruitment activity has become more measured, one of the most notable trends we've observed during the first half of 2026 has been the continued demand for senior leadership talent.
Many of the senior appointments we have supported this year have not been traditional replacement hires. Instead, they have been driven by transformation programmes, governance strengthening initiatives, regulatory change and operational improvement projects.
Whether supporting group-wide standardisation following organisational change, embedding more mature business partnering models, improving risk ownership, or leading Building Safety compliance programmes, organisations continue to invest in leaders capable of delivering meaningful change.
The common thread across these appointments is influence.
Employers are increasingly seeking leaders who can build credibility with operational teams, executive stakeholders and regulators alike, while simplifying complexity and driving measurable outcomes.
For employers, successful senior hiring begins with clarity. The most effective recruitment processes clearly define whether a role is intended to drive transformation, strengthen assurance or provide operational leadership, ensuring stakeholders are aligned before a search begins.
For senior candidates, demonstrable impact continues to be the strongest differentiator. Evidence of governance improvement, audit performance, regulator engagement, incident reduction, cultural change and business transformation is often more influential than qualifications or tenure alone.
Where organisations require immediate capability, interim and fixed-term leadership appointments continue to provide an effective route to stabilise performance, deliver critical programmes and prepare the foundations for long-term success.
The Talent Market
Despite broader economic uncertainty, talent shortages remain a reality across many areas of health, safety, environment and sustainability.
While candidate activity has increased, the majority of experienced professionals remain passive candidates rather than active job seekers. This means many of the best candidates are unlikely to apply directly for opportunities but remain open to conversations about the right role.
For employers, this reinforces the importance of employer brand, candidate experience and retention.
Salary remains important, but it is increasingly only one part of the equation. Career progression, leadership quality, flexibility, organisational culture and long-term development opportunities continue to influence attraction and retention decisions.
In a market where specialist skills remain scarce, organisations that move decisively and communicate a compelling employee value proposition continue to achieve the strongest hiring outcomes.
Looking ahead to H2 2026
While economic uncertainty is likely to remain a feature of the wider market, there are strong reasons to remain optimistic about the outlook for Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability recruitment.
Major infrastructure investment programmes continue to gather momentum. Building safety reforms are driving long-term demand for specialist expertise. Manufacturing organisations remain focused on operational excellence and cultural improvement. Sustainability investment continues to create new opportunities across multiple sectors.
The market may be more selective than it was during the hiring peaks of recent years, but demand for experienced professionals remains strong.
Five trends we'll be watching in H2 2026
Continued growth in infrastructure and AMP8-related hiring.
Ongoing demand for Building Safety and Fire Safety specialists.
Increased use of Interim and Contract solutions to deliver change programmes.
Greater focus on psychological safety, wellbeing and organisational culture.
Sustainability leadership is becoming increasingly embedded within operational and strategic business functions.
For employers, success will increasingly depend on clear hiring strategies, efficient recruitment processes and compelling career opportunities.
For candidates, opportunities remain abundant, particularly for those who can demonstrate technical expertise, leadership capability and measurable impact.
As we move into the second half of 2026, one thing remains clear: Organisations that continue to invest in health, safety, environment and sustainability capability will be best positioned to navigate uncertainty, manage risk and support long-term growth.
If you would like to discuss your hiring plans, benchmark the market, or explore new career opportunities, the team at Irwin and Colton would be delighted to help.