Is AI Coming for UK SME Jobs? — Ep 69 cover art

Is AI Coming for UK SME Jobs? — Ep 69

Is AI Coming for UK SME Jobs? — Ep 69

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Summary

 UK job vacancies have just dropped to 711,000 — the lowest level since the pandemic, and now below pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, unemployment has climbed to 4.9%, with 206,000 more people out of work than a year ago. Something's shifting.Matt and Charlie unpack what's really going on. Meta, Amazon, Oracle, Citigroup, Accenture and Block have all confirmed major redundancies in recent weeks — and most of them are citing AI as the reason. The question is whether that trend is about to trickle down to UK SMEs.Matt shares a conversation he had with a Manchester recruiter who's just made 25% of his own team redundant — because his clients have stopped hiring. Charlie pushes back on the AI narrative and asks whether some of this is just big businesses using the moment to trim fat. They get into employment costs, the April 2026 NI hikes, offshoring, and why hiring at home has become a last resort for so many UK founders.If you run a UK business and you're trying to work out what hiring looks like over the next 12 months — or whether you should be hiring at all — this one is for you.Takeaways:📉 Why UK job vacancies have hit their lowest level since the pandemic🤖 The big-name companies citing AI as the reason for layoffs💼 What a Manchester recruiter is seeing inside his own client base💷 How rising employment costs are pushing UK founders to offshore🔍 What the next hiring cycle could look like for SMEsFollow Matt:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mrmattholland/👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrmattholland/📱 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmattholland❌ X - https://x.com/mrmattholland1Follow Charlie:📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theworkwearexpert👨‍💻 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-smith-1a55295b/
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