𝗤𝟭 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱: 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗚𝗼? 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝘅 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿!

We’ve wrapped up the first quarter of 2025 - and what a start it’s been. From the introduction of the new FIG regime to… well, let’s not talk about tariffs, shall we?

A Shifting Landscape

Compared to the slower pace we saw in parts of 2024, the tone of the market this quarter has definitely changed - especially across the Big 4, where the recruitment taps are firmly back on.

At Pro-Tax, it’s been a strong start. We’ve met 30% more clients this quarter than Q1 last year, and over 45% more new roles have been released. These roles span a healthy mix of:

•             𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘾𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 (𝙪𝙥 15%)

•             𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 & 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙏𝙖𝙭

•             𝙈&𝘼 / 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙏𝙖𝙭

•             𝙑𝘼𝙏 & 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙏𝙖𝙭 – 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙨, 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙑𝘼𝙏 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨

•             𝙏𝙖𝙭 𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨

•             𝘼 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 & 𝙩𝙖𝙭 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨

What We're Seeing

🧠 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀

Partners and Heads of Tax are more engaged than ever, often instructing us directly for senior strategic hires - roles that aren’t advertised but are designed to complement and strengthen existing teams. These are typically top-end Senior Manager or Director-level roles, with clear progression pathways.

🔥 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲

Demand for strong tax talent is at an all-time high. Counteroffers remain a common hurdle, and top candidates are receiving multiple offers - two of our candidates received four offers each in March alone!

💷 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Firms are increasingly protective of good talent. While we’ve seen fewer promotion hires (i.e., Manager to Senior Manager), lateral moves are very much in play, often with salary uplifts. Sign-on bonuses are less frequent, but still available for the right candidate.

🎯 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

Over the past three months, we’ve met a number of candidates disheartened after missing out on promotions or receiving underwhelming bonuses - triggering them to explore the market.

🔍 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱

Right now, we’re seeing huge demand for M&A, Private Client, and Compliance roles. Interestingly, quality compliance talent is increasingly seen as a gateway to securing deeper advisory relationships.

🏢 𝗜𝗻-𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲)

The in-house market remains a strong draw, especially for those making their first move out of practice. That said, we’re also seeing a notable return of candidates back to practice - a trend I explored in a recent blog, and one that continues to grow.

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𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀

The tax market is as strong as ever, with brilliant opportunities available for those with the right skill set. Whether you're actively looking or just want to stay in the loop, it's always worth keeping your ear to the ground.

Your trusted tax recruiter (👋 hi!) can be an invaluable barometer for what’s happening in the market—often knowing about roles well before they go live.

Let’s connect, chat, and plan ahead.

Here’s to a great Q2!

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Pro-Tax is Sponsoring the Taxation Awards 2025! 🎉🏆

We’re excited to announce that Pro-Tax is a proud sponsor of the Best Regional Tax Practice award at this year’s Tolley’s Tax Awards - Taxation Awards 2025! These awards are a huge highlight in the tax industry, recognising the outstanding professionals and firms making a real impact.

As specialists in tax recruitment, we’re passionate about supporting top talent and celebrating success across the sector. We can’t wait to be part of this incredible event and cheer on the nominees!

Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to the big night.

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We are also working in close collaboration with Jack Bonehill and Nitin Rabheru, and there are some excellent webinars for you to listen to from this quarter - View our latest webinar.