2026 Recruitment Report - Thoughts from OnBoard

What the Firefish 2026 Recruitment Report Means for UK Construction Hiring

The Firefish Annual Recruitment Report 2026 paints a clear picture of a recruitment market that has moved from survival mode to selective growth and construction sits right at the heart of that shift. For a specialist job board like OnBoard Jobs, focused exclusively on UK construction roles, this is both a warning and a huge opportunity.

In this blog, we break down the key insights from the Firefish report and translate them into practical actions for construction employers and recruiters using OnBoard Jobs.

1. Confidence is back but competition is, too

The headline from Firefish is that confidence has surged across the agency market. A striking 84% of agency leaders expect sales growth in 2026, and over half describe themselves as optimistic about the year ahead. Pessimism has more than halved, falling from 22% last year to just 10% now.

At the same time, construction is one of the sectors most agencies want a piece of and one of the hardest to win in.

93% of agencies working in construction expect growth in 2026.
Construction is ranked as the third most difficult sector for new business development, with 13% of agencies saying it is the single hardest market to win work in.

In other words: demand is high, but so is friction. You are not the only one targeting construction projects, trades and site management talent this year.

For OnBoard Jobs users, this means two things:

You cannot rely on “the market” to deliver talent; you need a focused attraction plan.
You should treat every vacancy and campaign on the platform as a competitive product, not just an advert.

2. Sector focus: why construction is a “high opportunity, high friction” market

Firefish describes a “High Opportunity, High Friction” paradox across sectors. Construction embodies this perfectly: the vast majority expect growth, yet many admit it is one of the toughest sectors to break and grow in.

Alongside construction, Engineering, Manufacturing and Logistics are flagged as “unsung heroes” high growth areas that don’t carry the same level of cut throat competition as Technology and Finance. This is critical for anyone building a desk or expanding a client base around the built environment.

For a construction only job board like OnBoard Jobs, that paradox is your advantage:

You are already positioned in a growth sector where agencies anticipate strong demand.
Your niche focus reduces friction for both sides: candidates know all roles are relevant, and employers know the audience is construction only.

Practical move: If you are a generalist agency or main contractor trying to grow in construction, carve out a clearly defined niche on OnBoard Jobs for example, mechanical & electrical roles, civil engineering, or site management in a specific region.

3. From “broad market” to targeted execution: using a niche job board properly

One of the biggest themes in the report is the shift from broad participation to targeted, high value execution. Leaders are moving away from “spray and pray” and doubling down on the specific levers that drive profitable growth.

Those levers are:

Business development as the number one priority (BD is in the top three priorities for 80% of agencies).
Communication and candidate experience as key differentiators.

OnBoard Jobs fits directly into this strategic pivot:

It is a BD tool: every job you post is a live signal in front of construction professionals actively looking.
It is an experience tool: a focused, construction only environment reduces noise and helps candidates feel the advert is “for them”.

To line up with the Firefish findings, you should:

Stop treating job boards as passive channels and start using them as structured BD routes – for example, posting roles that demonstrate your project pipeline and specialisms.
Improve your candidate experience on the platform: clear salary bands, realistic requirements, project detail and fast responses all matter more in a friction heavy market.

4. The “Candidate Attraction Flip”: why job boards are back on top

Perhaps the most important insight in the report for OnBoard Jobs is the “Candidate Attraction Flip”. Firefish shows that the biggest behavioural shift in 2026 is the death of pure volume sourcing. Agencies are drowning in applications the problem is no longer finding candidates, but filtering signal from noise.

That shift is reflected in the new channel hierarchy:

Job boards are now the number one candidate attraction channel, chosen by around 78% of respondents for 2026.
Referrals follow closely at 75%.
Content and social media (including video) are in third place at around 65%.

Just a year ago, social sourcing was top of the list; now, its popularity has plummeted as agencies move away from time heavy manual hunting.

Crucially, job boards are not just popular they’re profitable:

Existing candidate databases are rated the single highest ROI channel, with 80% reporting positive ROI.
Job boards are next, with 72% saying they see positive ROI from them.
Email marketing has also climbed, with 48% reporting positive ROI

For OnBoard Jobs, this validates the platform’s role:

A construction only job board fits perfectly into the 2026 mix of “high intent” channels.
If you are not already treating OnBoard as a central plank of your attraction strategy, you are now behind the curve, not ahead of it.

Practical move on OnBoard Jobs:

Re visit your job board budget and re allocate spend from low ROI channels (low quality social sourcing, generic listings) into specialised construction advertising.
Use your job board performance data (response rates, application quality) as one of your core KPIs for 2026.

5. Multi desk and perm plus contract: aligning your hiring strategy

The Firefish report highlights a structural shift away from “mono desk” models. Agencies are deliberately diversifying:

Over 2 in 5 perm heavy agencies plan to increase their focus on contract recruitment.
Around a third intend to grow their temp capabilities.
86% plan to increase focus on permanent recruitment overall, up dramatically from 44%.

At the same time, contingency recruitment has retaken centre stage, rising to 75% of the market compared to retained and other models. Leaders are prioritising efficiency and flexibility: more revenue from the same headcount, faster delivery, and a better spread of risk.

For construction employers and agencies using OnBoard Jobs, this has direct implications:

You should think in terms of workforce mix, not just “filling a role”.
Permanent site managers, long term project engineers, and key operational hires may sit alongside contract project teams and temporary trades on the same platform.

How to implement this on OnBoard Jobs:

Use the platform’s job types (perm, temp, contract) to reflect your true workforce strategy instead of defaulting everything to perm.
Build repeatable campaigns: for example, a rolling contract campaign for electricians or labourers alongside branded perm adverts for QS, project managers, or directors.

This multi desk approach mirrors where the wider market is heading and gives you resilience if specific project pipelines slow down.

6. AI, automation and the construction talent pipeline

Another major pillar of the Firefish report is the “Practical AI Revolution”. The hype phase is over 2026 is about using AI to kill admin and free up more time for human conversations.

Key AI focus areas for agencies this year include:

Admin automation (around 50% are prioritising this).
CRM and database optimisation (also around 50%).
Business development and analytics.

The advice is clear: stop chasing “all in one” miracle tools and focus AI on reactivating the database you already own.

For OnBoard Jobs users, this translates into:

Treating your job board and your internal database as one joined up ecosystem.
Using AI and automation to keep candidate data clean, segment trades, and trigger smart follow ups once someone has interacted with your advert.

Examples:

When candidates apply for a role on OnBoard Jobs, move them automatically into a segmented talent pool (e.g. “Civils Site Managers – South East”) in your ATS or CRM.
Use AI tools to send personalised email sequences based on their job type or region, referencing the live opportunities you continue to post on the platform.

This blends the high intent nature of job boards (active candidates) with the long term value of your internal database (re engaged candidates).

7. Internal teams, hybrid working and construction recruitment

The report also tracks a stabilising internal market for recruiters themselves. The “Great Resignation” has given way to a “Great Stabilisation”:

65% of agencies made no changes to base salaries for their own staff in the last 12 months.
92% made no changes to commission structures.

Working model is now a major predictor of business confidence:

Fully office based agencies are the least confident about 2026 (only 37% optimistic).
Office first hybrid used by around 40% of respondents shows the highest optimism at 58%.

For construction recruitment, this is particularly relevant because your internal team is often split between office, site visits, and client meetings. Aligning your working model with productivity and high value work is critical.

How this connects to OnBoard Jobs:

If your consultants can access and manage their OnBoard Jobs campaigns from anywhere (office, home, client site), you can support a hybrid model without losing control of candidate flow.
Better tools and clear processes matter more than physical presence; your construction recruiters need quick, clean visibility of roles, responses and pipelines on the platform.

8. Candidate attraction channels: making OnBoard Jobs the centre of your 2026 plan

Firefish’s data on channels for 2026 reads like a playbook for construction talent.

Top three candidate channels for the coming year are:

Job boards (~78%).
Referrals (~75%).
Content & social (including video) (~65%).

SEO & website, AI optimisation, and email communications also feature strongly.

If you bring this together for OnBoard Jobs, a high performing 2026 construction attraction strategy could look like:

Core engine: OnBoard Jobs as the primary job board for construction roles all live vacancies and campaigns sit here.
Referrals: Internal referral schemes and contractor networks that point candidates back to specific OnBoard Jobs listings.
Content: Blogs, salary guides and project case studies hosted on your site and amplified through OnBoard (profile pages, links in job ads, email nurturing).
Email: Regular, segmented email campaigns that direct candidates to relevant OnBoard Jobs roles as they are added.

This aligns neatly with Firefish’s conclusion that the “old guard” job boards, existing databases, and email are currently delivering the best ROI.

9. What this all means for construction employers using OnBoard Jobs

Pulling the Firefish insights together, a few clear themes emerge for construction hiring in 2026:

Confidence is back, but you must be proactive. A majority of leaders expect growth, yet competition, especially in construction is intense.
Sector choice matters. Construction, engineering and blue collar/logistics are all high growth areas, but you need a clear niche to avoid friction traps.
Job boards are central again. They’re now the top candidate attraction channel and one of the highest ROI investments.
Multi desk and perm plus contract models are becoming the norm. Diversify the types of roles you advertise, not just permanent hires, to match how the market is structuring itself.
AI should support, not replace, your job board strategy. Use it to automate admin, enrich data and amplify what you do on OnBoard Jobs.

For OnBoard Jobs specifically, your advantage is focus. In a market where agencies are overwhelmed with noise and candidates are tired of irrelevant listings, a dedicated construction platform offers clarity and intent. Every advert, every search, every application is anchored in one industry.

If 2025 was about coping, 2026 is about selective, strategic growth. The Firefish report shows where the wider recruitment market is heading, OnBoard Jobs gives you a way to translate that direction into practical, day to day hiring success in the UK construction sector.