How the Summer Months Can Cause Issues for

Economic Outlook Roundtable: What Yorkshire’s Finance Leaders Are Saying About Growth, Hiring and the Road Ahead

Senior finance professionals from across Yorkshire recently joined Sharp Consultancy for an exclusive roundtable discussion featuring an economic update from Paul Mount, Economist and Deputy Agent at the Bank of England. The session provided a timely, in-depth look at the UK’s economic landscape — followed by a candid conversation about what businesses are experiencing on the ground.The picture that emerged was one of cautious realism. While official forecasts point to easing inflation and a gradual return to stability, many organisations across the region continue to navigate weak demand, rising labour costs, tightening legislation and stalled investment projects. Yet despite these pressures, there remains a strong sense of resilience and adaptability — qualities that have long defined the Yorkshire business community. At Sharp Consultancy, our specialist finance and accountancy teams speak daily to employers and professionals across commerce, industry, public practice and the not-for-profit sector. What we heard in this session closely aligns with the insight we gather from clients and candidates across the region. Below, we explore the key themes shaping business confidence, recruitment activity and the outlook for 2026. Inflation Is Easing, but Confidence Has Yet to Follow The Bank of England outlined its latest central forecast: Inflation expected to gradually return toward the 2% target. GDP growth set to remain modest but stable through 2026. Interest rates anticipated to settle around 3.5% based on market expectations. Unemployment projected to hold near 5%. However, the sentiment in the room was clear: despite improving headline numbers, confidence across most sectors remains fragile. Many organisations described the environment as “flat” — not contracting, but unable to capitalise fully on opportunities due to economic uncertainty. Sharp Consultancy continues to see this play out: businesses are stabilising rather than expanding, focusing on cash management, operational efficiency and carefully controlled hiring. Labour Costs Continue to Reshape Workforce Strategies Wage pressures were a recurring theme throughout the discussion. Employers highlighted: Significant increases to the National Living Wage. Higher employer National Insurance contributions. Expected future changes to minimum wage equalisation for younger workers. Rising cost and complexity associated with apprenticeships. These factors are pushing up costs at every level of the workforce and reshaping recruitment behaviours. Across Sharp Consultancy’s accountancy and finance divisions, we are seeing: Strong demand for replacement hires where roles are business critical. Lower volumes of growth hires, particularly in commercial and project-focused appointments. Clients increasingly prioritising candidates who bring breadth, adaptability and long-term value. Construction & Infrastructure: Capacity Under Pressure Leaders from the construction sector painted a challenging picture — one mirrored by many Sharp Consultancy clients operating across the wider built environment. Key themes included: Planning delays of 9–10 months, particularly related to the Building Safety Act. Businesses holding on to workforce capacity despite reduced margins — a strategy that may not be sustainable in 2026. Difficulty justifying new capital expenditure under IFRS when future cashflows are uncertain. Concerns that smaller subcontractors may not withstand prolonged delays or reduced demand.Yet, attendees also highlighted that construction could become a catalyst for economic recovery — provided policy reform and planning improvements unlock stalled projects. Manufacturing: Rising Costs and Shifting OperationsLeaders representing manufacturing shared concerns around: Rising energy and operational costs. Increased frequency of site closures and offshoring. Significant challenges in attracting engineering and technical talent. Early signs of contraction in several sub-sectors, with aerospace a notable exception. These pressures reinforce the growing importance of finance leaders who can model scenarios, manage volatility and guide long-term planning — roles Sharp Consultancy continues to support across the manufacturing landscape. Charity & Public Sector Organisations Facing Acute Strain For organisations reliant on local authority funding, the challenges are particularly stark. Attendees reported: Government and council funding caps. Rising NI, wage costs and VAT changes adding millions to annual budgets. Increasingly complex consultation requirements under forthcoming employment legislation. The likelihood of significant cuts to the frontline services in the months ahead.Sharp Consultancy’s continues to work closely with organisations navigating these pressures, supporting clients through restructuring, recruitment challenges and financial planning needs. Recruitment Outlook: Stability Over Expansion Across sectors, the message was consistent: 2026 is expected to be cautious, steady and focused on maintaining capability rather than expanding headcount. Attendees forecast: Workforce levels remaining broadly flat. Hiring driven by essential replacement roles. Transformation, M&A and large-scale project hiring likely to remain subdued. Improved recruitment confidence only once interest rates and policy direction stabilise. For employers, this means sharper competition for high-quality finance talent — an area where Sharp Consultancy’s specialist teams continue to provide targeted, market-led support. What Comes Next? A Slow but Steady Rebuild Despite the challenges discussed, the roundtable ended on a constructive note. Many leaders believe that once interest rates settle and stalled investment begins to move, the region could see a more meaningful upturn — potentially from 2026 onwards. Yorkshire businesses have proven time and again that they are resourceful, resilient and ready to adapt. Sharp Consultancy remains committed to supporting them through every stage — whether stabilising teams, recruiting future leaders, or navigating the next phase of growth. If you’d like to understand what these economic trends mean for your business or team, speak to our specialist consultants for a confidential market discussion. Contacts Us

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Summer is fast approaching and whilst long, hot sunny days may still seem some way off, the coming months can present employers with some seasonally related staff scenarios to handle. We take a look at a few of the most common situations employers are likely to face as the temperatures (hopefully) rise.

Handling holiday requests

Check your holiday policy – or if you don’t have one in place now is a good time to adopt one – and make sure that all staff are aware of the procedure for requesting and authorising time off. Certain times of the year are more popular for holiday requests – particularly if employees need to fall in line with school holiday times – so make sure that you adopt a fair and consistent approach. Also consider if you will need any additional seasonal staff to cover holidays or peak business periods and start the recruitment process early.

Late return from holiday

There can be a number of reasons why an employee may not to return to work after a holiday; some of these may be outside of their control due to illness or transport delays. And whilst foreign travel is currently prohibited announcements are expected in the coming weeks. As witnessed last year, the situation can be very fast moving, and if travel abroad is allowed, there is the possibility of added considerations surrounding quarantine measures upon return. Ensure that all staff are made aware of what they should do if they find themselves unable to return to work following a holiday.

The heat is on...

When the sun is rising, places of work can become hot and stuffy – and whilst there is no maximum temperature stated, it is important to ensure that the conditions are ‘reasonable’. This can vary for different workplaces and the work that employees are being asked to carry out. As well as added ventilation measures in line with COVID-19 recommendations, take steps to monitor the temperature throughout the day and consider whether air conditioning systems or fans etc will be beneficial.

Dress for success...

Employers may adopt a more relaxed dress code during the warmer months however staff should still dress appropriately for the role that they perform. Customer facing roles may still require employees to uphold particular standards at times – such as wearing a tie – and employers should be clear on situations when it may be possible for these to be relaxed. Consideration must also be given to protective clothing which is required for health and safety purposes. For those employees working from home, a more relaxed approach is possible however, be sure to reiterate expectations for meetings and video calls which are being conducted remotely.

‘Long’ weekends

As well as an increased number of requests for annual leave, May sees two bank holiday weekends and many employers also find that the summer months can lead to a spate of last-minute or even unauthorised days off as employees want to take advantage of the nice weather. Employers need to monitor absenteeism and ensure that the reasons for not coming to work are indeed genuine. Ensure that you have in place a disciplinary procedure which you may need to follow if an employee has taken unauthorised time off without a satisfactory explanation.

Summer sporting calendar

Whilst we are still awaiting confirmation, this summer could be a bumper one for sport with the rearranged Olympics and European Football Championships set to take place alongside annual events including Wimbledon. A packed sporting calendar can present several issues including requests to time off, distracted employees trying to keep up with the latest scores whilst at their desk and allowances being made to watch key games and matches during work time.

Even where timings for sporting events don’t clash with working hours, a busy social life can result in tired, hungover or late employees the next day. If you are going to make allowances for staff to watch particular games or adjust their working hours make sure this is communicated in advance and is fair to other employees who may not be interested in participating.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today to find out more.

TURN UP THE HEAT