Quarterly Insights: The People Agenda Across Yorkshire And The East Midlands
Our network of CPOs, HR Directors and Talent Leaders is one of our most important client communities. Our Quarterly Update shares insights on people trends, challenges, and opportunities for employers across our region.
Quarterly Insights: The People Agenda Across Yorkshire And The East Midlands
Our network of CPOs, HR Directors and Talent Leaders is one of our most important client communities. Our Quarterly Update shares insights on people trends, challenges, and opportunities for employers across our region.
Partner
Director
Welcome to our quarterly overview of the people agenda across our region, exploring the challenges, trends and opportunities facing employers.
Each quarter we bring together the latest job market data, reviewing a broad range of indicators to give the clearest possible view of the people economy.
Alongside the data, we share perspectives from our CPO Network and recent discussions with HR leaders, covering topics such as EVP, recruitment, onboarding, L&D and retention.
Our network of CPOs, HR Directors and Talent Leaders is one of our most important client communities. We value the time we spend with this group and are pleased to share these insights with you.
The Current State of the Employment Market
Understanding the employment market requires more than a single dataset. It takes multiple sources and careful analysis to build an accurate picture.
In this section we bring together the latest insights from a range of trusted data sources, including:
The review combines national labour market data with our regional insight to give a clear, practical view of current hiring conditions and what they mean for workforce strategy. Key features include:
Outstanding CPO Interview
Virginia Perkins is more than a CPO. She is one of the rare examples of a people leader who has gone on to become a successful CEO.
Most routes to the top role still come through commercial or operational leadership. So why do more CPOs not make the same transition?
Virginia’s journey to CEO of Hesley Group in South Yorkshire provides a powerful perspective. In this interview she reflects on purpose, achieving Investors in People Platinum status, leadership legacy, and why more CPOs should be stepping into CEO roles.
Our View:
“One of the most rewarding aspects of our work is meeting exceptional leaders. Few are more impressive than Virginia Perkins.
Her story is an inspiring one and a must read for the People Leadership community across our region.”
Employment Law Update
Katie Ash, Director of Employment Law at Banner Jones Solicitors, provides a welcome overview of the full list of legal considerations that are evolving in 2026 for employers.
Our View:
“The prospect of the Employment Rights Bill alone has impacted hiring activity already. Early planning is the key to success and no employer should leave key positions vacant because of fears about the pending legislation.”
Where L&D Meets Executive Search
Gavin Scott is one of the most respected leadership trainers in the UK and our region. He has worked with corporates and SMEs across multiple sectors, and his book reached the Amazon best seller list.
In this piece he tackles a question many leadership teams face: what should come first, developing your existing team or bringing in new talent?
Our View
"Separating L&D and recruitment rarely serves organisations well. Each discipline brings deep expertise, but the strongest outcomes come when they work together.
When talent acquisition and leadership development are aligned, employers are far better placed to build the leadership capability their organisations need."
The Armed Forces Covenant
Darren Jones, Head of L&D at AESSEAL, shares his story of how the Armed Forces Covenant has strengthened the workforce and the EVP at AESSEAL.
He also shares the secrets to their success of their apprenticeship programme.
Our View
"There is significant untapped potential in the military leaver community for many organisations. Alongside addressing capability gaps with highly talented individuals, there is also a broader sense of responsibility.
Breaking down the barriers between military and business careers creates a genuine win win, helping employers access exceptional talent while supporting those who have served to build successful careers in industry."
In Summary
We hope this overview provides useful context for the conversations many organisations are having around leadership, talent and capability.
If you would like to join the discussion, contribute to future editions or become part of our growing CPO Network, please get in touch. We always welcome perspectives from HR and People leaders across the region.
Elise Walsh elise@pratappartnership.com 07936 364 473
Lucy Spink lucy@pratappartnership.com 07706 332 743
