As 2024 draws to an end, here at Osborne Thomas we've been reflecting on what's been another changeable year within the recruitment landscape. It started with the realisation that we had entered a mini recession at the back end of 2023, local authority recruitment appeared somewhat patchy in the first quarter of 2024.

There were fewer bid and tender processes emerging from procurement frameworks and an apparent drop in opportunities and subsequent direct awards. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) interestingly released some statistics highlighting employment within local government was an estimated 2.00 million in June 2024, a decrease of 1,000 (0.1%) compared with March 2024, and a decrease of 5,000 (0.2%) compared with June 2023.