Summer 2026 Newsletter

The Year so Far: What we are seeing

Gareth Tomkins
Managing Director

Highlights:

• Company performance
• Construction industry performance
• Employment legislation
• Staffing and skill shortages

Once again this year has chosen to throw many hurdles at us and it continues to feel like it is a never ending story. Here at Linear we had an encouraging start to the year and our performance in quarter 1 surpassed the quarter 1 budget with Perm placements proving particularly strong. However, the second quarter has been much more of a challenge, as it has been for many of our clients and the Construction industry in general.

The sector remains under significant pressure as output has fallen in 2026 and with continued high borrowing costs, geographical uncertainty and rising commodity prices there appears to be no let-up. However, there are early signs that the pace of decline may be easing with 38% of firms expecting activity to increase over the next 12 months. Early signs of recovery are emerging particularly in commercial and infrastructure pipelines but sustained recovery will depend on stronger housing demand, increased investment and the timely delivery of infrastructure projects.

Despite the UK construction sector output falling, there is still a real problem with staff shortages......Read Gareth's full article, 

On 11th June a team from our Sheffield office volunteered at Food Works Sheffield for the day.

Food Works is a Sheffield based social enterprise building a better food system. They want food to connect us, nourish everyone in their communities and help regenerate our planet. They grow food, cook meals and reduce food waste by working with communities and partners across the city to make good food accessible to all. Linear's team were based at the Handsworth warehouse, which is where they collect, store and redistribute surplus food through the market and local food cafés. 

They started the morning packing patron boxes, refilling the market stall and loading boxes for delivery to the cafés. 

They then helped the regular volunteers at the market stall, assisting customers, restocking shelves and filling up the freezer. Food Works also offer Just Meals, which are healthy, chef-prepared frozen meals that help reduce food waste and come in compostable packaging. These are £1.50 each (although you can donate more if you wish) - our team took some away to try!

A huge well done to our team Lily Turner, Gareth Tomkins, Adam Turner, Joe Poste, Nicola Wilson and Amy Haynes.

At the end of June a team from our Sheffield office spent the day volunteering at Thornberry Animal Sanctuary. They are one of the largest animal rescue centres in South Yorkshire and look after animals who are vulnerable and neglected and need care and love.

Our volunteers got involved in all aspects of animal care from mucking out to one-to-one enrichment activities such as daily dog walks and grooming and all had a great day helping how they could.

Thanks to Saphia Akbani, Scott Morton, Gareth Arnold, Alasdair Starmore, Jack James, Alex Moth, Ash Kelly and Nathan Shipsides for their time and efforts!.

RISQS Audit Success

We are delighted to say that Sarah Twibell has once again successfully led our annual RISQS audit with flying colours. A clean sweep with great positive comments from the RISQS Auditor on a well organised and transparent audit. Well done Sarah and thanks for all your hard work and effort.

CPD Spotlight: The Importance of Early AV Integration

This month, Matt Cassady attended the Constructing Excellence in the North East event, Designed to Disappear, hosted by Universal AV Services Ltd.

The session, delivered by Chris Southern of Habitech Pro, explored how thoughtful audiovisual (AV) design can enhance the functionality, flexibility, and user experience of a space while delivering a measurable return on investment.

One of the key takeaways was the importance of engaging AV specialists during the early design stages of a project. By considering AV requirements from the outset, design teams can develop more integrated solutions, avoid costly alterations later in the programme, and create spaces that better support the needs of end users.

As workplace, education, healthcare, and commercial environments continue to evolve, technology is becoming an increasingly important part of the built environment. Early collaboration between architects, consultants, contractors, and specialist AV providers can help unlock innovative solutions that improve both the performance and long-term value of a project.

It was an insightful session and a valuable reminder that the best project outcomes are often achieved through early engagement and collaboration between all members of the design team.

We have permission from Universal to share the slides from the presentation, so please get in touch with us if you would like them. 

If you would like them to attend your Studio and present this or a different subject matter please let us know and we can connect you.

Supporting your CPD Programme

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) plays an important role in keeping architects, technologists, and design professionals up to date with the latest innovations, regulations, materials, and industry best practices.

At Linear Recruitment, we'd like to do more to support our clients' CPD requirements and help connect practices with relevant industry expertise.

Would you be interested in discussing how we could support your CPD programme going forward? Through our network, we can help arrange:

• CPD presentations from specialist subcontractors, manufacturers, and consultants

• Industry-focused talks on specific technical or design topics.

• Networking and knowledge-sharing events

• Updates on interesting CPD opportunities and emerging industry trends

We're keen to understand what would be most valuable to you and your team.

Please click below to complete our short poll and let us know how we can help support your future CPD needs.

Your feedback will help us tailor future events, introductions, and learning opportunities to topics that matter most to you.

Construction Salary Insights: The Highest Paying Construction Jobs for 2026

Our latest blog looks at salaries in the construction sector, with a particular focus on Construction as a career, looking at entry requirements for typical roles, levels of experience needed as well as routes to progress your roles.

We've looked at contract versus permanent role advantages and disadvantages, the best paying construction jobs, and typical salary levels for construction roles.

You can read our full article and analysis here 

We hope you find it useful and as always, we'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this.

Stars of the Quarters

We are delighted to announce Lee Wise as a Star of the Quarter for Q1. Lee has had a stellar first three months of the year, far exceeding his budget targets and also by being a hugely positive influence in our North East office.

Despite Lee only joining us in September last year he has very quickly become an extremely well respected member of the team in Newcastle and we are excited to see some more brilliant progress over the rest of the year.

Well done Lee.

Saphia's Promotion

A huge congratulations are in order for Saphia Akbani CertRP who has been promoted to Senior Recruitment Consultant. Saphia has been an outstanding Consultant in our Rail|Power|Infrastructure division since joining Linear in 2023, and her performance is on an increasing trajectory in the business. 

What's more, she is a really lovely person to work with - both as a consultant for her clients and candidates, as well as all her Linear colleagues. 

Well done Saphia, it is very well deserved.

New Starters

A huge welcome to Ellie Suddick who joined our Newcastle office as a Trades Resourcer, working alongside Laura Wilson and the trades team in our Newcastle office. Good luck in your role Ellie!

Sporting News

London Marathon Success

A Linear we're really proud of our Operations Director Geoff Taylor who completed the London Marathon in April in an incredible time of 3 hours 7 minutes.

This was his first time running the event, and only his second ever marathon and he was thrilled with his time. 

Geoff will also be running the Kielder Marathon in October which he's completed before but will be hoping to beat his time this time around. Well done Geoff!

Heel and Toe Charity Golf Day

We're delighted to be able to support Heel and Toe Children's Charity's Golf Day - they're a wonderful charity who provide a range of therapies to support children with disabilities across the North East.

The event took place at Ramside Hall Hotel in County Durham and all funds raised will help the charity to provide vital therapy and specialist support for local children with physical disabilities and complex needs.

Wideopen Sponsorship

We're really proud to continue our sponsorship of a local football team in Newcastle, Wideopen U14 Pumas.  They are a community footbal club with a simple belief that football is for everyone in North Tyneside, not just the talented few, not just those who can afford it, but every child who wants to pull on a shirt and feel part of something. They are building a club that families are proud of, that young people grow up with, and that gives back to the community that surrounds it.

We'll be the front of shirt sponsor for the next two seasons. The team is a lovely bunch of girls and it's extra special to us as one of the coaches is none other than Geoff Taylor, and both his daughters play for the Pumas. We wish them every success for the new season.

Pathways 4 All Golf Day

Matt Cassady had a fantastic day at Pathways 4 All's golf day, hosted at Mercure George Washington Golf Course. 

The weather was kind with plenty of sunshine and a gentle breeze and what a day it was for Team Linear, bringing home the win with a fantastic team effort. 

Thank you again to Steward Anderson who was dialled in with his driver and sank several birdie putts. Bill also kept the team straight and long off the tees and down the fairways, and Paul got them off to a great start by sticking his first shot of the day to within a few inches of the hole, beating the pro, winning Closest to the Pin, and setting the tone for the rest of the day.

A big thank you to Carol Bennett and her team for a fantastic and very well-organised event. We are already looking forward to next year's event! ⛳

2026 Charity Events

Celebrating Life

In July Saphia from our Sheffield office will be taking part in a charity skydive - she has decided she finally wants to do something that truly makes her feel alive. And what’s a better way to do that than to walk the tightrope between life and death by jumping out of a plane 14,000ft in the air.

Saphia will be trying to raise as much as she can for two charities; Young Minds and Samaritans. These are two charities that are close to Saphia's heart for very personal reasons.

There are lots of people like Saphia who have fought silently for years and Saphia has finally found it the right time to share her story in the hope of helping end the stigma surrounding mental health and hopefully reach others like her and let them know that they are not alone, and that by talking about it, it's taking the first steps to fight it.

You can read Saphia's full story here and you can support either of the charities she's fundraising for she would really appreciate it; her JustGiving page is below:

Saphia's SkyDive Fundraiser

45th Great North Run

Linear is delighted to be entering a team into the Great North Run in September this year. It's the world's largest half marathon and sees 60,000 runners taking on the route from Newcastle to South Shields. This year also marks an incredible 45 years of the famous event.

We've got a team consisting of Joe Poste, Ash Kelly, Gareth Tomkins, Don Collins, Marc Cameron and Alasdair Starmore taking part and they will be raising funds for Heel and Toe Children's Charity.

You can donate to their fundraising page here

YORhub Meet the Builder 

Back in May Ashley Kelly and Nathan Shipsides attended the YORhub Meet the Builder event. 

YORhub help the public sector deliver quality construction projects and their work in Yorkshire and the Humber helps support businesses and economic regeneration.

It was a great day of networking for them both and it was nice to see lots of familiar faces, as well as meet new businesses.

Thanks to YORhub for the event and we're looking forward to the next one.