Food Manufacturing Recruitment Market Update for Q1 2026

As we come to the end of the first quarter of the calendar year, I thought now would be a good time to share a market update.

Demand for Interim Managers

Interim demand has been strong since November, and this last quarter has been the strongest we’ve seen since 2021. We expected activity to slow during and after Christmas, but that hasn’t been the case.

There are a few reasons for this.

There was definitely a post budget sense of relief, as it wasn’t as severe as many clients feared, unless you’re in hospitality. Much of the pent up demand from autumn was released during winter. In addition, confidence in the economy remains low, with many clients choosing to invest in temporary labour costs rather than permanent hires. The Employment Rights Bill has also encouraged some clients to delay permanent recruitment in the short term.

The most popular interim roles we have placed in the last three months have been within Technical functions. This has particularly been around improving retail audit standards, preparing for upcoming audits, and strengthening food safety standards. This has been closely followed by Operationally focused assignments, including improvement projects, vacancy cover, and transformational change.

Our expectation is that interim demand will remain strong throughout the spring, and if we have a similar summer to last year, it could be a bumper year for Interim.

Permanent Recruitment Vacancies

We’ve seen a slight reduction in the number of permanent briefs compared to the same quarter last year. As mentioned in the interim section, we believe this is largely due to continued economic uncertainty and the impact of the Employment Rights Bill.

The most popular permanent roles we have placed over the last three months have been in Commercial functions, highlighting the importance of securing strong talent in challenging market conditions. Technical and Operations briefs have followed closely.

Many of the roles we have supported this quarter have come from previously failed contingent briefs (no win, no fee) or situations where in-house recruitment teams needed additional support. I understand the pressures; there’s been a noticeable increase in no shows and offers falling through. In many cases, this happens because candidates haven’t fully bought into the business or aligned with its employee value proposition and culture.

Another challenge in the Food Manufacturing Sector is many candidates are focused on the job at hand and not looking for their next role, mainly due to the economic conditions.  Our recruitment process mitigates these risks. You can see how we approach this through our 8-point best practice plan to attract top talent – Recruitment Strategies to Attract Top Talent.

Get in touch if you’d like to talk through what this means for your hiring plans.

All the best,

Denis O’Driscoll

MD