As we wrap up Q1, we’re excited to share a behind-the-scenes look at how Vivid Resourcing’s placements were distributed across Technology, Engineering, Government, and Life Sciences.

Each sector tells a story about hiring trends, the evolving priorities of our clients, and the adaptability of our specialist teams. In this article, we break down the numbers and share exclusive insights from our market experts on what drove demand in Q1 and where we see the biggest opportunities throughout Q2 and beyond.

Whether you’re a client, candidate, or simply curious about market movements, this is your snapshot of the last quarter – and a signal of what’s coming next.

The sector split

Our sector analysis revealed some interesting results; engineering took centre stage in Q1, accounting for 39.6% of all placements. While the differentiation between the top three sectors wasn’t too vast, Life Sciences remained the smallest contributor, as expected, with most of our consultants continuing to focus on Engineering, Technology, and Government. Technology, in particular, saw a dip in activity compared to previous quarters despite still accounting for 28.4% of total placements.

STEM hiring trends observed throughout Q1

We asked some of our sector specialists – who speak to candidates daily – for their thoughts on the results, delving deeper into the forces behind them:

“In Q1, the markets were generally busy, with lots of business being developed across the legal team. I did, however, notice a fluctuation throughout the quarter, with a quieter month seen in June for the legal industry due to many of my clients taking annual leave and postponing their hiring to July and August as a result, potentially shedding some light on why our split was not quite as large as that of the engineering sector.” — Georgia Howe, UK Government Locum Legal Recruitment Specialist

“In Germany tech a large number of placements last quarter were driven by a surge in defence-related drone projects, largely fuelled by increased government and NATO-aligned spending. This has led to heightened demand for engineers with expertise mainly across autonomous systems and cybersecurity technologies.” — Rhodri Skyrme, DACH Engineering Cybersecurity Recruitment Specialist

“A key observation I’ve had within the Data and Business Intelligence space is that, while larger insurance and banking clients maintained consistent hiring activity, smaller companies showed a notable slowdown in hiring for the quarter, likely due to the desire to reserve their more limited budgets to be spent for their September projects.” — Jack Trower, Benelux Tech Data Hiring Specialist

“I’ve noticed growing client demand for engineers in broader roles that combine design, prototyping, and production interface – such as versatile Product Engineers. Our extensive network has enabled us to meet this demand efficiently, contributing to a high number of placements in this area.” — Tom Walker, Benelux Engineering Payroll Staffing Expert

“Whilst demand remains high for SMEs in network, cloud, security or data-based architecture-level roles across the US and North America, more junior to mid-level roles are feeling the squeeze, with a disparity between available jobs and available candidates.” — Loui Cowles, US IT Infrastructure Staffing Specialist

“Currently, increasing legislative changes in Germany are causing our clients to raise their safety and quality standards significantly, leading to an increase in hires for HSE and QA/QC professionals. Where site managers were previously able to handle both responsibilities, in recent months clients have been eager to engage specialists who can independently relieve the upward pressure they’re experiencing.” — George Foreman, DACH Engineering Freelance Recruitment Specialist

“A key observation I’ve had within the Data and Business Intelligence space is that, while larger insurance and banking clients maintained consistent hiring activity, smaller companies showed a notable slowdown in hiring for the quarter, likely due to the desire to reserve their more limited budgets to be spent for their September projects.” — Jack Trower, Benelux Tech Data Hiring Specialist

“I’ve noticed growing client demand for engineers in broader roles that combine design, prototyping, and production interface – such as versatile Product Engineers. Our extensive network has enabled us to meet this demand efficiently, contributing to a high number of placements in this area.” — Tom Walker, Benelux Engineering Payroll Staffing Expert

“Whilst demand remains high for SMEs in network, cloud, security or data-based architecture-level roles across the US and North America, more junior to mid-level roles are feeling the squeeze, with a disparity between available jobs and available candidates.” — Loui Cowles, US IT Infrastructure Staffing Specialist

“Currently, increasing legislative changes in Germany are causing our clients to raise their safety and quality standards significantly, leading to an increase in hires for HSE and QA/QC professionals. Where site managers were previously able to handle both responsibilities, in recent months clients have been eager to engage specialists who can independently relieve the upward pressure they’re experiencing.” — George Foreman, DACH Engineering Freelance Recruitment Specialist

Regional hiring trends across Benelux, DACH, UK, US & Rest of World

Looking at our core regions, it came as no surprise that Benelux took the top spot for placements, supported by our most established networks in Technology and Engineering.

The UK came in second. As our longest-running market specialism, it continues to deliver consistent results — particularly in Government placements. A number of Q1 placements also supported the UK counterparts of our European Tech and Engineering clients.

The DACH region placed third, which aligns with its strong focus on Engineering, though with a smaller Tech footprint compared to Benelux. We expect this to grow as we expand both our presence in Germany (through our Düsseldorf office) and our reach across the wider DACH Tech market.

The recent launch of our U.S. entity contributed a smaller share of overall placements, as anticipated given its early stage. However, thanks to the strong performance of the Tech market in and around North Carolina, the region still accounted for a notable 10% of total placements.*

*In combination with a small number of placements taking place across the rest of the world.

A deeper insight into regional hiring trends from our technical experts

Our experts on the hiring landscape in their respective regions highlighted the key factors influencing the global distribution of placements over the past quarter:

“Many companies are motivated by reducing their costs given the geopolitical climate. With IT hiring, this means demand for offshore and nearshore labour resources continues to be a popular option.” — Loui Cowles, US IT Infrastructure Staffing Specialist

“As more funding is required for emergency placements across the UK, councils are deprioritising recruitment (e.g. agency recruitment), so over the next three months – to combat rising TA costs – we expect to see an increase in interim placements.” — Kaine Wilson, UK Housing Interim Placement Consultant

“Last quarter, many large construction sites in the Flemish region – especially Antwerp – were busy with industrial and infrastructure projects. This saw a lot of demand for quality control and assurance personnel.” — Aleks Perusko, Belgium Engineering Freelance Recruitment Specialist

“I’ve noticed significantly more freelance candidates on the market due to DBA legislation in the Netherlands, meaning that many consultants are crossing the border to work in Belgium. This has impacted rates.” — Josh Hay, Netherlands IT Recruitment Specialist

“For engineering projects, we are able to place candidates in niche locations for clients that require an on-site presence, such as the South and East Netherlands regions. It’s an area where we really add value, thanks to our vast network — meaning clients in candidate-sparse regions often turn to us to fill their vacancies.” — Jack Brimmer, Netherlands-based Electrical Engineering Hiring Specialist

Predictions for the STEM hiring landscape in Q2 and beyond

What’s the hiring landscape looking like for Q2? We received a range of responses:

“Looking ahead, I think we will continue to grow in defence projects and clients across Germany,  particularly in weapon, drone, and land-based systems. There will likely be increased demand for AI-focused engineers and system safety specialists as projects become more complex and autonomy-driven for modern warfare.” — Rhodri Skyrme, DACH Region Cyber Hiring Team Lead

“We anticipate a significant increase in demand for interim professionals within Disrepair and Repairs over the next three months, as the enforcement of Awaab’s Law comes into effect in October.” — Edward Hatcher, UK Estates & Regen Hiring Team Lead

“Historically, Q2 is usually the legal sector’s busiest quarter. I put this down to clients needing more cover with so much leave taken throughout the summer months, meaning they are more likely to bring contractors on board.” — Georgia Howe, UK Legal Sector Interim Hiring Consultant

“There is growing demand for cleared candidates for government projects, as well as local talent, as return-to-work initiatives continue.” — Loui Cowles, North Carolina Network & Infrastructure Hiring Specialist

“I’m seeing momentum build in Belgium’s contract cybersecurity market, largely driven by the upcoming wave of NIS-2 audits expected to ramp up by March 2026. Demand for Cybersecurity Analysts is rising as companies work to update internal security policies, systems, and culture to ensure compliance. While some clients acted early when NIS-2 was introduced and now only require minor updates, many are just beginning the process – prompting rising demand for analysts, engineers, and architects to deliver significant work within tight timeframes…watch this space.” — Connor Howell, Belgium IT Infrastructure Freelance Hiring Specialist

“With companies needing to move to S4Hana by mid-2026, there has been massive demand for ERP profiles – something I expect to continue.” — Josh Hay, Rotterdam Tech Freelance Specialist

“This quarter, from speaking with my clients in the industry, we can expect many chemical companies to run turnaround projects, increasing demand for quality inspectors, site supervisors, and compliance officers to support the works.” — Aleks Perusko, Belgium-based Engineering Staffing Expert

Conclusion

To wrap up, Q1 at Vivid Resourcing saw Engineering dominate with nearly 40% of placements, while Technology experienced a slight dip and Life Sciences remained a smaller focus. Regionally, Benelux led in placements, followed by the UK and DACH, with the U.S. making a promising early impact.

Our consultants highlighted key trends such as rising demand for defence-related engineering roles in Germany, increasing interim hiring in the UK, and growing cybersecurity needs in Belgium.

Looking ahead, legal, defence, and compliance roles are expected to see growth, driven by legislative changes and evolving client priorities. However, with the speed at which our niche markets evolve, it is essential for hiring managers to stay closely connected with their staffing partners to stay ahead of rapid market shifts.

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