Your team isn’t growing. It’s being rebuilt.

For a long time, growth meant one thing:
More people. Bigger teams. More hires.

But right now? That’s not what we’re seeing.

Hiring hasn’t stopped, but it has slowed down. Roles are being signed off more carefully, and businesses are thinking twice before adding headcount. Across the UK, vacancies have dipped and hiring is happening, but with far more intention than before 

So what does that mean for creative, marketing and ecommerce teams?

It means teams aren’t scaling like they used to.
They’re being reshaped.

From “more people” to “the right people”

The brief has changed.

Instead of asking “who can we add?”, clients are asking:
“What skill do we actually need?”

And that’s led to smaller, sharper teams, built around impact, not headcount.

We’re seeing more demand for specialists than ever, whether that’s performance marketers, social strategists or content leads. In fact, over half of businesses say their biggest challenge right now is finding people with the right skills, not just any skills.

The rise of flexible teams

At the same time, how teams are built is shifting too.

It’s no longer just perm vs perm.

Brands are:

• Bringing in freelancers for key projects

• Building teams around campaigns

• Keeping core teams lean, but flexible

It’s not about hiring less, it’s about hiring smarter.

Where things go wrong

Most brands get the shift.
But not all are executing it well.

We’re still seeing:

• Overloaded roles trying to do too much

• Hiring delays while teams “figure it out”

• Missing out on great talent because decisions take too long

And in this market, that hesitation costs.

Because the best people aren’t sitting still, they’re being approached.

What we’re seeing at Profiles

The clients getting ahead aren’t necessarily hiring more.
They’re hiring better.

They’re:

• Clear on the gap they need to fill

• Open to flexible talent solutions

• Moving quickly when the right person comes up

Because they know one thing:

It’s not about building a bigger team
It’s about building a better one

The market hasn’t slowed down, it’s just become more considered.

And the brands that win won’t be the ones hiring the most people… but the ones building teams that actually work.

If you’re rethinking your team structure this year, it’s worth getting it right from the start.

We work with brands to map out what they actually need, and connect them with the talent to make it happen.

Get in touch with Profiles to discuss your hiring plans.