UK Sponsor Hiring Index
October 2026
Who gained a sponsor licence this month, in which sectors and towns, and what that suggests about where international hiring is happening.
The month in four numbers
- New licences
- 1,340
- Left the register
- 1,388
- Net change
- +148
- Rating changes
- 29
Week by weekNew licences first seen on the register in each week
Week of 2026-W40
117
120 left the register
Week of 2026-W41
337
279 left the register
Week of 2026-W42
287
296 left the register
Week of 2026-W43
309
346 left the register
Week of 2026-W44
290
347 left the register
Which business types got licencesShare of the month's new licences
- Retail and wholesale187 (14%)
- Other140 (10%)
- Unknown153 (11%)
- Professional services149 (11%)
- IT and software141 (11%)
- Hospitality78 (6%)
- Manufacturing110 (8%)
- Care and social work87 (6%)
- Health62 (5%)
- Construction61 (5%)
Where in the UKShare of the month's new licences
- Unknown1,006 (75%)
- South East76 (6%)
- East of England45 (3%)
- Scotland39 (3%)
- London28 (2%)
- North West29 (2%)
- West Midlands22 (2%)
- Yorkshire and the Humber18 (1%)
- East Midlands23 (2%)
- South West20 (1%)
Towns with the most new licencesWhere new sponsors are based, and the largest new sector in each
| Town | New | Net | Largest new sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| London, London | 363 | +45 | IT and software |
| Manchester, Greater Manchester | 29 | -12 | Retail and wholesale |
| Birmingham, West Midlands | 21 | -10 | unknown |
| Leicester, Leicestershire | 14 | -4 | Health |
| Nottingham, Nottinghamshire | 19 | +11 | Health |
| Leeds, West Yorkshire | 13 | +1 | Retail and wholesale |
| Bristol, Bristol | 11 | +1 | Retail and wholesale |
| Reading, Berkshire | 10 | -3 | unknown |
| Slough, Berkshire | 10 | +2 | Retail and wholesale |
| Ilford, Essex | 12 | +7 | Retail and wholesale |
| Glasgow, Glasgow City | 15 | +10 | Hospitality |
| Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire | 7 | -5 | Arts and recreation |
| Sheffield, South Yorkshire | 15 | +11 | Arts and recreation |
| Coventry, West Midlands | 9 | +1 | Retail and wholesale |
| Harrow, Middlesex | 6 | -6 | IT and software |
| Liverpool, Merseyside | 12 | +9 | Construction |
| Edinburgh, Scotland | 9 | 0 | IT and software |
| Wolverhampton, West Midlands | 4 | -6 | Other |
| Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | 6 | -1 | IT and software |
| ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM | 9 | +4 | unknown |
| Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear | 11 | +8 | Hospitality |
| Salford, Greater Manchester | 9 | +4 | Professional services |
| Watford, Hertfordshire | 10 | +7 | Professional services |
| Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire | 6 | -1 | Other |
| Bedford, Bedfordshire | 8 | +4 | Retail and wholesale |
Size and age of new sponsorsNew licences by employer size and by how long the company has existed
By employer size
Small
488
Unknown
412
Micro
268
Large
149
Medium
23
By company age
2to10
514
Gt10
466
Lt2
207
Unknown
153
Median Employer Standing of new sponsors: 81 out of 100. How standing is worked out.
Salary threshold watchChecked 7 November 2026
General minimum salary for a Skilled Worker: figure awaiting sign-off, or the going rate for the occupation code, whichever is higher. GOV.UK source
What HR should read into it
Commentary for this month is awaiting sign-off.
Method
- Figures count changes we observed between published copies of the Home Office register of licensed sponsors, which we have watched since 16 May 2026.
- Some first-seen dates come from archived copies of the register and can be up to a month later than the true date.
- A licence leaving the published register is a fact about the register, not a reason. We do not infer one.
- Counts are of register entries, not of jobs or workers. Read the full method.