VacancySoft Insights August 2025

In 2025, IT hiring within the UK telecoms sector continues to climb, driven primarily by demand for Service Delivery Managers and Network Engineers. The expansion of 5G infrastructure is the key catalyst: engineers are responsible for building the networks and platforms, while service delivery teams ensure smooth launches and customer handovers. The hiring data reflects this shift: network engineering vacancies are up 41.3% year-on-year, and demand for service delivery managers has surged by 166%, underscoring the growing emphasis on operational execution.

Financial pressures remain a concern for some operators. TalkTalk, which has struggled with payment deadlines to BT Openreach and CityFibre, secured £100 million in funding to strengthen working capital and invest in its PXC and Consumer divisions. Despite a recent 20% workforce reduction, this funding could signal renewed hiring as the company looks to enhance its Wi-Fi proposition and ISP connectivity.

The Government’s Industrial Strategy is another driver shaping the sector. Its 10-year plan prioritises telecoms, with commitments to expand the UK Telecoms Lab, improve spectrum access, and deepen ties between academia and industry. This backdrop has coincided with a surge in vacancies, with July 2025 recording the highest engineering demand since the previous September. Openreach has accelerated its full-fibre rollout with a £232 million investment in the South East, targeting 25 million premises by 2026. Ofcom’s regulatory reforms—such as granting altnets access to Openreach infrastructure—have boosted competition, particularly in the South, which is forecast to see 21% growth this year, outpacing London’s 17% rise.

Virgin Media O2 is also expanding aggressively, committing £700 million to mobile network upgrades. In partnership with Freshwave, it has deployed small cells in Cornwall and now leads the UK in this field, with over 2,000 active sites. This investment reflects a broader industry trend: 5G is reshaping not just network performance but also the underlying architecture. Technologies such as Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) are becoming increasingly central, reducing reliance on physical infrastructure and opening opportunities for more agile, software-led operations.

As a result, demand for highly skilled network engineers is projected to grow by more than 10% this year, with London experiencing the strongest increase at 17.3%. Cybersecurity is another fast-growing hiring area. A ransomware attack on Colt earlier this year, which disrupted services and exposed sensitive employee data, highlighted the scale of the threat. Recruitment data shows cybersecurity hiring is up every month in 2025 compared to 2024, with a projected 34.2% annual increase. Security has clearly shifted from a back-office function to a strategic priority. Beyond cybersecurity and networking, demand for Electrical Engineers has surged, with vacancies expected to rise 35% year-on-year. Software developers and engineers are also increasingly sought after, as telecoms operators pivot from hardware-driven models to AI- and data-powered systems. This shift underlines the broader transformation taking place: 5G is not just a faster mobile standard but a platform for innovation, enabling applications from smart cities to connected healthcare.

Operators, infrastructure providers, and new entrants are all positioning themselves to capture value from this next wave of digital connectivity.

Meanwhile, fintech firms are moving into mobile services. Monzo announced plans to issue SIM cards via a digital-only platform, following Revolut’s similar expansion. Virtual operators already hold 18% of the UK market, a share expected to grow as consumer pricing pressure intensifies. The entry of non-traditional players underscores how the 5G era is blurring industry boundaries, creating fresh competition for established operators and pushing the entire sector toward greater efficiency, innovation, and customer focus.

Please contact the Telecoms Team
Anya Brown – abrown@fuelrecruitment.co.uk
Richard Giles – rgiles@fuelrecruitment.co.uk
Murray West – mwest@fuelrecruitment.co.uk
Efthymios Antoniadis – efthymios@fuelrecruitment.co.uk

About Fuel Recruitment
Fuel Recruitment is a technical recruitment consultancy with 20+ years of experience in telecoms. We specialise in placing expert professionals across engineering, delivery, and digital transformation roles.