| | The Year in Review | Gareth Tomkins, Managing Director 
I’m sure I speak for many companies and clients alike when I say I am glad to see the back of 2025 and am now looking forward to hopefully better times ahead in 2026. Trading conditions have proven to be extremely challenging this year, which appeared to be compounded in the second half of the year in the lead up to the autumn budget. The UK's unemployment rate rose to 5% for the July to September 2025 period, the highest in over 4 years. and a complex business environment and uncertainty around the budget has kept hiring on ice in Q4 - the budget being so late has meant a lot of companies/clients are pushing decision making into the new year.However, there are now signs of the market stabilising and here at Linear we have a very encouraging pipeline building for the start of 2026. We are also experiencing a substantial increase in enquiries for staff from our clients for both contract and permanent candidates, which gives us real confidence that 2026 is going to be the start of much improved trading conditions.
Read Gareth's full review |
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| | | | Linear's 2025 Charity Fundraising
Heel and Toe Charity Golf DayIn September Don Collins and Marc Cameron took some clients along to Heel and Toe Children's Charity's Golf Day and we're delighted to say their team came first!The day raised almost £5000 for the charity; this incredible amount will make a significant difference to the children and families they support. We're looking forward to getting the trophy to proudly display in the office. Thanks to Heel and Toe for letting us be part of this amazing day. Don and Marc will also be running next year's Great North Run for Heel and Toe, and this will build on Don's success this year representing them - he will also be running the Junior Great North Run for them with his daughter Emily ❤️ Well done to everyone involved. Inflatable 5K RacesWe're delighted to say we raised over £1100 for our two nominated charities Young Minds and Weston Park Cancer Charity by taking part in our inflatable races in Sheffield and Newcastle. Thank you to everyone who gave up their time to complete the race and all those who donated, we really appreciate it. Read More |
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| | | WHISH Volunteering | In December Donal Collins and Marc Cameron spent a day volunteering at WHISH (Whitby Hidden Impairments Support and Help), supporting WHISH with decorating their new hub area ahead of their opening.  WHISH is a charity that helps reduce social isolation and offer exciting activities and educational and social opportunities for children and parents. WHISH aims to build confidence and improve mental wellbeing through sharing experiences and gaining beneficial life skills. It was a long day, but Don and Marc were brilliant throughout their day with them and we received some lovely feedback from Andrea, who works for the charity:
"Donal and Marc were troopers throughout their day with us. They arrived early in the morning and got to work straight away. They filled, sanded, prepped and painted all of our walls. This has allowed us to put up our Christmas decorations now. Marc and Donal not only completed this work with great detail and care, but they did it with a cheeriness and a smile (and lots of tea & coffee). They also did not want to leave until the job was finished - pure dedication!
We are so grateful for their assistance. Volunteers are how we survive due to the high costs of staffing"
Well done both of you. You can see an example of Don's cheeriness on one of the pictures 😁 ! 
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| CV & Interview Workshops |  | We were delighted to attend Whitby High School recently to spend some time discussing Careers Advice with Year 12 and Year 13 students.
The workshops are being run in conjunction with Wilmott Dixon and their project at the Whitby Maritime Hub.
Our first workshop focused on delivering a CV Writing and Interview Preparation seminar to support them in the steps into their future employment choices. Our second workshop was centred around discussing the Construction Industry in more detail, along with advice on gaining a career in this exciting industry. We're passionate about the industry and hope to spread that enthusiasm! Thanks to Geoff Taylor, Jamie Hine and Marc Cameron for their hard work with these workshops. Is this something we could help you with? Contact us if so. |
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| Stars of the Quarters | We were delighted to have had two winners of Employee of the Quarter for quarter 3.
A huge well done to Ella Terry and Jack James - they could not be separated by the votes and both were worthy winners of the Q3 prize. As such a massive congratulations goes to Ella and Jack. 
Ella has really driven on her Trades desk and Jack has had some great achievements in his perm billings. A huge well done to both of you and thank you for all your hard work and efforts. |
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| | UK Recruitment Trends: How AI is solving critical skills shortages |  | As AI becomes more and more prevalent, its use within the recruitment industry can help make some recruitment processes more efficient. We've taken a look at how it's affecting recruitment and how it can help solve some of the skills shortages the UK is experiencing, especially within the construction industry.
Key Takeaways:- UK unemployment at 4.6% in 2025, with job vacancies 20% below pre-pandemic levels
- Construction industry faces a 250,000 worker shortage by 2028
- 41% of UK recruiters are already using AI, with 26% more planning adoption
- Linear Recruitment combines AI efficiency with human expertise for better placements
| | Read our full Blog |
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Building a Greener Railway: How Sustainable Rail is Transforming the Rail Industry` |  | What does the future of UK rail look like, and what does this mean for the workforce running, building and maintaining the UK railway?
In this article, we delve into the changes sustainable rail is expected to have on the employment landscape, answering how employers need to react to demand for skills and what this means for both the new and existing workforce, looking at:
- How are "green rail" initiatives shaping the industry?
- How are net-zero goals shaping rail careers?
- How do these changes impact workfoces?
- How is education tackling skills shortages?
- What roles will be in most demand?
| | Read More |
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| Anyone for Padel? | 
Office Culture - it can be seen as a buzz phrase in recruitment. Good culture doesn’t happen by accident - it’s built every day through small actions. Our Sheffield team recenty played a work Padel tournament. It's safe to say a few people in the office are hooked… If anyone is keen for an open game Alex Moth would love to hear from you! Get in Touch |
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