VacancySoft Insights January 2026

Overall hiring activity across the UK telecoms sector showed signs of recovery in 2025, but not across all skill areas, marking a potential turning point after several subdued years. Year-on-year analysis indicates that vacancy volumes strengthened as the year progressed, supported by sustained network investment, fibre rollout programmes and continued development of mobile infrastructure. Momentum was particularly evident through Q2 and early Q3, suggesting that confidence was beginning to return well before the end of the year. With major infrastructure programmes scheduled to continue into 2026, competition for experienced telecoms professionals is beginning to increase, which is further intensified by a lack of qualified engineers.

The recovery in hiring will continue to be underpinned by structural investment rather than short-term demand spikes. Ongoing fibre deployment and mobile infrastructure upgrades remain central to the sector’s growth trajectory, while Government-backed initiatives are reinforcing long-term visibility. Telecoms now sits firmly within the UK’s industrial strategy, and funding linked to Project Gigabit is providing a clear pipeline of work. With £5 billion committed to improving nationwide connectivity, demand for specialist skills, particularly within engineering and IT, has risen accordingly.

Engineering continues to represent a core pillar of telecoms recruitment. Network engineering roles remain consistently in demand as operators seek to expand, upgrade and maintain critical infrastructure. However, the composition of hiring is evolving. A notable shift has emerged in the balance of skills sought by leading telecoms employers, with IT becoming an increasingly dominant feature of recruitment strategies. This reflects the growing convergence between telecoms and digital technologies, as networks become more software-driven, data-intensive and security-focused.

The data highlights this shift clearly. In 2025, six of the top ten skills in demand across telecoms were IT-related, signalling a broadening of role profiles beyond traditional engineering disciplines. This widening skills mix suggests that firms are not only scaling teams, but also diversifying capability as networks become more complex and integrated with cloud platforms, automation tools and advanced analytics.

As a result, overall hiring volumes have risen alongside the breadth of roles being recruited.

The expansion of IT within telecoms is particularly striking in year-on-year terms. IT vacancies increased by 16% in 2025 compared with the previous year, outpacing growth in many other areas of the sector. This trend reflects the growing importance of software development, systems integration, cybersecurity and data management within telecoms operations. As networks evolve to support faster speeds, lower latency and higher capacity, demand for IT specialists capable
of supporting these changes is expected to remain strong.

These hiring patterns raise a broader question for the sector: is telecoms finally turning the corner? After several relatively quiet years, 2025 recorded higher levels of activity than either of the two preceding years, suggesting that the market may be entering a more sustained growth phase. Importantly, this recovery is not being driven by a single sub-sector, but by a combination of public investment, private capital and long-term infrastructure commitments.

Looking ahead, the outlook for 2026 appears cautiously optimistic. With continued Government support, large-scale infrastructure programmes still underway and investment into the sector accelerating, the conditions for further hiring growth remain in place. If current trends persist, competition for experienced telecoms talent is likely to intensify further, particularly in roles that sit at the intersection of engineering and IT.

For employers, the implications are clear. As demand rises and skill requirements broaden, early and proactive hiring strategies will become increasingly important. Firms that act decisively are likely to be better positioned to secure scarce talent, while those that delay may face growing cost pressures and longer time-to-hire.

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Please contact the Telecoms Team
Anya Brown – abrown@fuelrecruitment.co.uk
Richard Giles – rgiles@fuelrecruitment.co.uk
Murray West – mwest@fuelrecruitment.co.uk
Efthymios Antoniadis – efthymios@fuelrecruitment.co.uk

About Fuel Recruitment
Fuel Recruitment is a technical recruitment consultancy with 20+ years
of experience in telecoms. We specialise in placing expert professionals
across engineering, delivery, and digital transformation roles.