Open data · updated quarterly
Average time to fill a vacancy in the UK, by sector
A median of 42 days from the role opening to the day it was filled, measured across the 46 roles we have filled and published in full. The middle half took between 29.3 and 68.8 days, the fastest 14 and the slowest 169. Sector moves it a long way, and the count behind every sector figure is published beside it — where a sector has fewer than 3 filled roles we publish no median at all.
· last verified 10 September 2026 · source: TalentFinder published case studies — src/data/case-studies.json as at 2026-09-10 · regenerated quarterly
The results
| Sector | Roles filled | Median days | Middle half | Fastest | Slowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 46 | 42 | 29.3 – 68.8 | 14 | 169 |
| Accountancy & finance | 5 | 29 | 28 – 29 | 14 | 93 |
| Building services & trades | 4 | 35 | 22.3 – 58.8 | 20 | 94 |
| Care & social care | 4 | 63.5 | 45 – 82.3 | 27 | 101 |
| Charity & community | 2 | under the reporting floor (n<3, 2 filled roles) | |||
| Construction & property | 3 | 44 | 35.5 – 62.5 | 27 | 81 |
| Engineering & manufacturing | 3 | 60 | 58 – 87.5 | 56 | 115 |
| Facilities & cleaning | 1 | under the reporting floor (n<3, 1 filled roles) | |||
| Healthcare & clinical | 1 | under the reporting floor (n<3, 1 filled roles) | |||
| Insurance & financial services | 3 | 40 | 30.5 – 43.5 | 21 | 47 |
| IT & technology | 2 | under the reporting floor (n<3, 2 filled roles) | |||
| Legal | 3 | 32 | 30.5 – 44 | 29 | 56 |
| Precision machining & maintenance | 5 | 74 | 39 – 107 | 38 | 169 |
| Motor & automotive | 1 | under the reporting floor (n<3, 1 filled roles) | |||
| Procurement & supply chain | 1 | under the reporting floor (n<3, 1 filled roles) | |||
| Recruitment | 1 | under the reporting floor (n<3, 1 filled roles) | |||
| Sales engineering | 2 | under the reporting floor (n<3, 2 filled roles) | |||
| Transport & logistics | 2 | under the reporting floor (n<3, 2 filled roles) | |||
| Utilities & infrastructure | 3 | 42 | 35.5 – 55.5 | 29 | 69 |
Every one of these roles is published individually, with its full candidate funnel, on the case studies.
What this does not tell you
This is a small dataset and it is ours. 46 filled roles is enough to be honest about and not enough to be a market benchmark — it is quoted with its count every time for that reason. It measures roles that were filled, so it is not a fill rate, and it is not weighted by sector volume.
Cite this
Free to quote in full or in part, including commercially, with attribution and a link. No permission needed.
TalentFinder UK Time to Fill by Sector, Q3 2026, talentfinderuk.co.uk/data/time-to-fill-uk-by-sector
The complete dataset, including every breakdown and the anonymised record behind each figure, is published as JSON at https://www.talentfinderuk.co.uk/data/time-to-fill-uk-by-sector.json. Journalists and researchers wanting a cut we have not published can email info@talentfinderuk.co.uk and we will run it.
· last verified 10 September 2026 · source: TalentFinder published case studies — src/data/case-studies.json as at 2026-09-10 · regenerated quarterly
How this was measured
Population: every filled role published as a case study on this site — 46 roles across 18 sectors. Each is an Atlas project closed with the reason "filled"; time to fill is the number of days between the project being opened and the day it was closed as filled, which is the record of the close rather than the last time the record was touched. Suppression: a sector with fewer than 3 filled roles is published as suppressed with no figures. The count is still shown. This is a small, honestly-sized dataset: it measures the roles we filled and published, not a survey of the market, and it is not weighted. It is quoted alongside the count every time. Not measured: unfilled or withdrawn searches are not in this set, so this is time to fill for roles that were filled — not a fill rate.
Questions about this data
How long does it take to fill a vacancy in the UK?
Across the 46 roles we filled and published, the median is 42 days from the role opening to the day it closed as filled. The middle half took between 29.3 and 68.8 days; the fastest was 14 and the slowest 169. That is our own record rather than a national survey, and the count behind every figure is published beside it.
Which sectors take longest to fill?
Of the sectors clearing our floor of 3 filled roles, Accountancy & finance was fastest at a median of 29 days across 5 roles, and Precision machining & maintenance slowest at 74 days across 5. A sector with fewer than 3 roles publishes no median at all — with two records a "median" is just one of them.
Is this time to fill, or time to hire?
Time to fill: the whole elapsed period from the role being opened to it being closed as filled, including the employer's own interview stages and notice discussions. It is not the recruiter's working time and it is not time-to-first-CV, both of which are shorter and neither of which is the number an employer actually waits out.
Does this include roles you did not fill?
No, and that is stated rather than buried: this is the time taken by roles that were filled. It is not a fill rate and it would be the wrong dataset for claiming one. Unfilled or withdrawn searches are not in the set.
How does this compare with a national benchmark?
We are not going to put a national figure beside ours that we cannot read at source. What we can tell you is exactly what our own roles took, with the count and the range behind every number, and the full record of each one is published individually so the figures can be checked rather than believed.
What to do with this
A number of days is only half a decision. The cost of vacancy calculator turns it into money for your own salary, and the companion dataset — how many applications a job advert actually draws — is the other half of the same question. If pay might be the reason a role is sitting open, check the local band. The full candidate funnel behind every one of these roles is on the recruitment data page.