New Figures Reveal 7 Million Started a New Job in 2025

Why It Matters

The surge underscores a robust labor market while the growing uptake of the HMRC app streamlines onboarding, reducing administrative friction for employers and new hires alike.

Key Takeaways

• 7 million started new jobs in 2025, up 300k
• HMRC app gained 2.7 million new users in 2025
• App provides NI number, PAYE history, tax calculator
• 1.8 million hires occurred April‑June 2025, peak recruiting season
• National Careers Week promotes app for job‑seekers 2026

Pulse Analysis

The 2025 labour market in the United Kingdom demonstrated notable resilience, with over 7 million individuals entering new roles—a 4% increase from 2024. This growth reflects sustained demand across sectors such as retail, technology, and professional services, and signals confidence among employers despite lingering macro‑economic uncertainties. The seasonal spike of 1.8 million hires between April and June highlights spring as the traditional recruitment peak, a pattern that recruiters and policy makers monitor for wage pressure and skill‑gap assessments.

Digital self‑service tools are reshaping the onboarding experience, and HMRC’s mobile app is at the forefront. By aggregating National Insurance numbers, PAYE histories, and tax codes in a single, secure platform, the app cuts the administrative lag that typically burdens both HR departments and new employees. In 2025, 2.7 million new users leveraged features like the tax calculator and digital NI wallet, indicating strong consumer trust in government‑provided fintech solutions. This adoption not only accelerates compliance but also reduces errors in payroll processing, translating into cost savings for businesses of all sizes.

For the broader economy, the convergence of a buoyant hiring landscape and streamlined tax‑administration tools carries strategic implications. Employers can allocate resources previously tied up in paperwork toward talent development, while the government benefits from more accurate real‑time data on employment trends. As National Careers Week continues to promote the app into 2026, the expectation is that digital onboarding will become a standard practice, further enhancing labour market efficiency and supporting the UK’s competitiveness on the global stage.