Still Not Advertising Flexible Jobs? Here’s Why You Should

As of mid-2025, the UK labour market continues to undergo structural shifts. While vacancy levels have tapered from post-pandemic highs, certain sectors, particularly electronics, engineering, and advanced technology remain under significant pressure due to ongoing talent shortages. Yet despite these challenges, many businesses are overlooking a simple and effective solution: offering flexible jobs and advertising them clearly from the start.

Why Flexible Work Matters More Than Ever in 2025

Flexible work is no longer just a perk; it’s become a core employment expectation. Recent research from CIPD – Flexible and hybrid working practices in 2025 and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that over 85% of job seekers actively look for flexibility - a Flexible Work Model, whether that’s hybrid, part-time, job share, or compressed hours, when assessing potential roles. Despite this, only 36% of permanent job listings explicitly offer any form of flexibility, and part-time jobs still make up less than 15% of all advertised roles.

This disconnect creates a major missed opportunity in today’s competitive hiring market. Employers who fail to offer flexibility risk losing out on a vast and growing segment of skilled talent.

Who Are You Excluding?

Lack of flexible job advertising disproportionately affects:

• Parents and carers, especially women returning to work
• People with long-term health conditions or disabilities
• Older workers seeking phased retirement or reduced hours
• Professionals prioritising work-life balance or mental health

These groups often bring a wealth of experience, reliability, and specialist knowledge. However, when jobs are advertised as full-time by default, these candidates are either excluded or forced into roles that don’t match their skills or pay level.

For example, many highly skilled women are pushed into lower-paying roles simply because their need for part-time or flexible hours isn't accommodated. This contributes to the persistent gender pay gap and ongoing inequality in career progression. Likewise, many people with disabilities or chronic health conditions are effectively shut out of meaningful work due to inflexible job structures.

Flexibility Isn't Just a Desk Job Thing

While remote and hybrid roles have become common in office-based settings, sectors like manufacturing, engineering, and technology continue to lag. This is particularly problematic as these same industries face intense competition for skilled workers and increasingly complex hiring needs.

There’s a prevailing assumption that roles in these industries can’t be flexible but that’s often a failure of imagination or planning. Smart rostering, shift sharing, remote monitoring, and modular role design can all introduce flexibility without compromising productivity.

What’s Holding Employers Back?

Redline’s insights, supported by wider industry research, reveal three main barriers preventing wider adoption of flexible and part-time recruitment strategies:

1. Inertia and Status Quo Thinking

Many leaders still regard flexible working as an optional benefit rather than a business-critical strategy. But today’s environment demands a more progressive mindset. With birth rates falling, early retirements increasing, and post-Brexit migration tightening the labour supply, employers cannot afford to ignore the productivity potential of underutilised workforce segments.

2. A Lack of Flexible Job Design Know-How

It’s not enough to simply say a role is “flexible.” Employers often lack frameworks or training on how to design jobs that support part-time, hybrid, or job-share arrangements, particularly in technical or shift-based roles. The absence of clear guidance means hiring managers default to full-time, in-person requirements, excluding talent who would otherwise be a perfect fit.

3. Fear, Mistrust, and Misconceptions

Some business leaders still assume that employees asking for flexibility are less committed, or that offering flexible work could trigger resentment among other staff. These outdated views persist despite growing evidence that flexibility boosts morale, reduces absenteeism, and increases productivity when implemented correctly.

The Economic Case for Flexible Hiring

The business benefits of flexible working in 2025 are undeniable. Studies show that companies offering flexibility see:

• Wider and more diverse applicant pools
• Faster time-to-hire and better retention rates
• Higher employee engagement and job satisfaction
• Reduced recruitment and turnover costs

Amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, enabling more people to access meaningful work on terms that fit their lives has also become a social responsibility. Research shows that around 3.7 million people in the UK remain stuck in insecure, low-paid, or unsuitable roles, despite possessing valuable skills.

What Can Employers Do Right Now?

To win the talent war in 2025, businesses must be proactive and intentional. Here’s how:

• Invest in Manager Training

Equip hiring managers to design flexible roles tailored to their team’s needs—whether through part-time, compressed hours, job shares, or hybrid options.

• Be Transparent in Job Adverts

Job seekers want clarity. Clearly state the types of flexibility available, rather than using vague or generic language. This will improve relevance and boost application quality.

• Prioritise Flexibility Across Pay Grades

Flexible roles are often concentrated at lower levels—but professionals in high-paying jobs also need work-life balance. Opening up flexible options at senior levels unlocks progression for skilled candidates who might otherwise leave the workforce.

• Embrace Technology

Modern workforce management tools can help with scheduling, collaboration, and performance tracking, making flexibility feasible even in operational or on-site roles.

• Treat Flexibility as a Strategic Priority

Don’t wait for candidates to ask. Build flexible work into your talent attraction strategy, and position your organisation as a forward-thinking, inclusive employer.

The Future of Work is Flexible and Competitive

The talent market in high-technology, engineering, and electronics will remain challenging over the next decade. With global competition for talent intensifying, businesses that embrace flexible hiring now will future-proof themselves against demographic and economic headwinds.

By adapting job design and shifting internal mindsets, employers can unlock access to an immense, motivated talent pool and achieve better business outcomes in the process.

Redline Group continues to be one of the UK’s most trusted Electronics and High Technology recruitment specialists for professional Contract and Interim, Permanent, and Executive roles. With over four decades of experience, we help organisations build agile, future-ready workforces by attracting and retaining the best talent flexibly. Call 01582 450054 or email us on Info@RedlineGroup.Com.