News & Thoughts

Recruiting top financial talent is a critical challenge for UK SMEs, especially in a landscape littered with economic uncertainty and driven by rapid technological change. Over £20 billion was earmarked for recruitment in 2024, and in 2025, SMEs are demonstrating a strong commitment to growth and innovation. This guide offers a structured approach to navigating the complexities of finance recruitment, ensuring your SME attracts and retains the right talent.​

Whether you're a newly qualified accountant or a seasoned finance pro eyeing your next move, it pays to know what employers are really after. It’s no longer enough to just have the key qualifications for accountants - firms want well-rounded finance people who bring more to the table.

Ai isn’t just a buzzword anymore, it’s actively changing how we work. In regards to HR, we’re seeing AI help HR leadership teams make smarter hiring decisions, use data to better employee engagement, and solve real world work problems. Here’s the top 5 ways you’re going to see AI shape your HR team in the near future – including the pros and cons of each one.

“We just need someone to keep the seat warm.” It’s a sentence we still hear. It also hugely undersells the power of a well-placed temp. Temporary hires have long been treated as second-best. Fallbacks, stop-gaps, a way to tide things over until the “real” hire comes along. But in today’s market, that mindset is not only outdated, there’s every chance that it’s costing you business opportunities, money, and momentum. The truth? A great temp doesn’t just cover the role. They can help elevate it, drive change, and help you see the gaps you might not have been aware of before.

The world we live in moves quickly these days. We’re seeing it everywhere, including in HR recruitment, and if you’re not adapting, you’re falling behind. Heading rapidly through Q2 of 2025, the latest HR hiring practices are being driven by a mix of tech, talent expectations, and smarter strategies. Here’s what’s actually happening in the market, not just buzzwords, but real, current HR industry hiring trends worth paying attention to.

The landscape of the modern workplace never seems to stop changing. Heading into 2025, wellbeing at work has become a cornerstone of organisational strategy and a key focus for HR leadership. The concept of staff health has far bypassed traditional health and safety protocols, with management teams and HR leadership embracing a more holistic approach, one which fosters mental, physical, and emotional health. 70% of people surveyed in our annual HR Salary Survey now work for a business that has an up-to-date and wellbeing strategy.

The last 12 months have seen the rise of the fractional finance director, a highly experienced finance professional who will work with your business on a short term basis; likely part time. We've seen them pop up predominantly in SME environments. Unlike your traditional finance director, who are usually employed full time and tend to come with a high salary, a fractional FD offers their expertise to more than one business, working flexibly and at a fraction of the cost.

Read our top tips for accountancy employee retention, which will help your business reduce turnover and keep your finance teams engaged and committed.