The workplace flexibility that defined the pandemic era is fast disappearing from the UK jobs market. Recent data from Adzuna’s UK Jobs Market Report shows remote job vacancies have fallen to their lowest level since March 2020, marking a clear reversal of the remote working trend that many experts had expected to be permanent.
Meanwhile, office-based positions are on the rise, and hybrid roles continue to see steady growth as employers demand expanded on-site work.
Figures for December 2025 show a difficult situation for job seekers, with vacancies falling for the sixth month in a row. These trends are consistent with previous findings from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation and Lightcast Labor Market Tracker, confirming that 2025 has ended as one of the most challenging years for job seekers since the pandemic began.
This data highlights a fundamental shift in the way UK employers approach workplace placements. For HR leaders and hiring managers, this is a critical moment. As most organizations transition to remote work, a key question is whether remaining flexible can be a competitive advantage in an increasingly difficult talent market.
The numbers behind the exercise
The 42% year-over-year decline in remote vacancies represents more than just a statistical change. This reflects a fundamental realignment in the way UK employers approach workplace flexibility.
With remote roles at their lowest since the beginning of the pandemic, data shows many organizations are wrapping up their experiments with distributed work models and returning to more traditional approaches.
The overall vacancy decline of 15.09% compared to December 2024 indicates that employers are taking extreme caution in their hiring decisions. High inflation, ongoing economic uncertainty, and the rapid adoption of AI technologies have combined to create an environment in which companies are reluctant to expand their workforces.
This “don’t hire, don’t fire” sentiment expressed by analysts has led to a period that many are calling the “Big Stay.” This is a period during which employees remain in their current positions due to limited external opportunities.
Opportunities for HR leaders in the RTO market
For HR leaders navigating this changing environment, reducing remote work vacancies presents both a challenge and a strategic opportunity.
In markets dominated by return-to-office mandates and in-person attendance requirements, organizations that choose to offer remote or hybrid flexibility can gain a significant competitive advantage in attracting top talent.
The current “Big Stay” phenomenon, in which employees remain with their current employers due to limited alternatives and uncertainty about the impact of AI on their jobs, has made the labor market particularly sticky. Workers are hesitant to move in an uncertain economic environment, especially when job opportunities are scarce.
But one factor that can motivate professionals to overcome this inertia is meaningful workplace flexibility. For many people who have experienced the benefits of remote work during the pandemic, returning to the office full-time means a major regression in their quality of life.
This creates a powerful value proposition for forward-thinking organizations. While competitors require office attendance, companies that offer truly remote or hybrid options can differentiate themselves in a way that matters to candidates.
The calculation is simple. If most organizations eliminate remote work options, those that retain them will be disproportionately attractive to a talent pool that values flexibility.
Furthermore, the intensity of competition in the current market, with 2.3 candidates per role, means employers who offer flexibility may be more selective in their hiring.
Instead of compromising quality to fill positions quickly, you can leverage flexibility to attract quality candidates who might not otherwise consider making the move.
However, since returning to the office is often framed as an effort to increase innovation and collaboration, HR leaders may face internal resistance when advocating remote or hybrid models. Balancing organizational priorities with talent attraction needs requires clear evidence of the value of flexibility in recruitment and retention.
Flexibility as a differentiator in 2026
The December 2025 figures confirm that last year was one of the most difficult years for job seekers since the pandemic, with vacancies falling for the sixth month in a row and competition increasing in most sectors.
But Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said: “The early green shoot suggests employers may want to start 2026 fresh and feel empowered.”
Flexible wage growth (sectors such as IT rising 9.1% above inflation) shows that despite declining opportunities, employers are still willing to pay competitive rates for the right talent.
HR leaders moving forward require strategic thinking about how to position their organizations in an increasingly competitive talent marketplace. Broad trends point to a decline in flexibility, but this should be viewed not as an inevitability, but as an opportunity to differentiate and break through the Big Stay sentiment.