Upheaval in the consumer landscape is impacting hiring trends, with on-demand talent offering an attractive blend of flexibility and instant access to transformation skills

Transformation is occurring across the consumer markets industry, forced onwards by the convergence of competing, contradictory pressures. Tight margins and rising costs, higher consumer expectations, international trade disputes, and ongoing, rapid tech developments mean consumer brands must upgrade or be left behind. Business strategy, operations, staffing, supply chains, digital and AI capability, and omnichannel consumer reach all have to be optimised if businesses are to generate growth in a contracting space.

Specialised talent are needed to handle the complexity of these multi-front change management programmes—and they're needed now. As a result, we’re seeing consumer companies embracing the independent talent model, engaging interim, high-level expertise to help them navigate disruption while identifying and exploiting new opportunities to drive growth, build resilience and stay relevant in a challenging market.

A transformative staffing shift

Rising employment costs combined with sluggish economic growth are causing UK businesses to rethink their hiring strategies. The increase in employers’ National Insurance rates announced in last October’s Budget and concerns over the impact of the Employment Rights Bill in particular are suppressing the appetite to hire, causing the country’s labour market to noticeably cool in recent months.

ONS data reveals that the estimated number of available vacancies is down by 42,000 from February to April 2025, while payroll employment dropped by 109,000 in May—the steepest monthly decline, excluding the pandemic, since 2014. Across all sectors, there’s a shift to a short-term workforce, with the number of temporary workers rising by 7.4% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2025, reaching 1.56 million.

Consumer-facing firms are on the frontline of these employment trends. With UK retail sales growth slowing to just 1% year-on-year in May—failing to match inflation and signalling weak discretionary spending – there is no margin for extra staffing expenditure. Major retailers are slimming down, with Sainsburys planning to cut 3,000 jobs, and Morrisons and PrettyLittleThing both implementing redundancies across their operations. International organisations and consumer goods giants are also feeling the bite, with Unilever embarking on a cost-cutting restructure as part of its effort to save €800m, which sees it shedding 7,500 roles worldwide.

These moves are part of a wider transformative shift in workforce strategies across the UK, Europe, and the US, with organisations reducing long-term payroll commitments to focus on a leaner, more resilient model based on temporary contracts and flexible, agile hiring models.

The time and place for interim executive talent

This reassessment of how talent are sourced and deployed in an unpredictable business environment extends to executive level, where on-demand and hybrid talent are enabling companies to fill skills gaps efficiently and so quickly adapt to economic changes while maintaining productivity. Research from Heidrick, a Heidrick & Struggles company, shows that in the US and European consumer markets, demand for interim leaders at all levels has jumped by 310% since 2020.

Independent talent are particularly suited to transformation programmes, and it’s no surprise that respondents to the INIMA (International Network of Interim Manager Associations) annual survey in 2025 cited change management and process optimisation as the most common focus for recent assignments. The top three specialities of European interim managers across all sectors are general management at 30.4%, finance (10.5%), and operations (10.4%).

Experienced executives are being brought into consumer organisations to lead critical transformation efforts—such as ecommerce expansion, ESG compliance and supply chain optimisation—while allowing businesses to avoid the delays and costs associated with permanent hires. Heidrick's data shows a strong focus on digital transformation, with the demand for AI and machine learning talent jumping 33% year-on-year, with business intelligence and analytics projects the priority. Strategy-related work is also key, seeing a 39% increase in requirements year-on-year, with supply chains, manufacturing strategy, and financial controls all significant targets for on-demand talent.

A win-win outcome

Within evolving employment structures, interim roles provide immediate access to leadership and industry expertise, helping consumer brands maintain momentum during periods of change and transition. The ability to inject fresh, specialised perspectives is proving particularly valuable in shaping customer-centric strategies that maximise engagement in a congested space where competitors clamour for consumers’ attention. Alongside this, companies are not having to commit to long-term executive contracts during a period of financial uncertainty.

There are also benefits from the perspective of interim talent. Flexible employment models align with changing worker expectations of greater control of their time and development paths. Many professionals now prioritise autonomy, varied experiences, and work-life balance over traditional job security. This is reshaping what employees look for in employers and how they engage with their careers.

With 2025 proving to be a period of transformation, rewards are on offer for independent talent who can demonstrate adaptability, innovation, and strategic focus, and upskill themselves to enable the adoption of AI and digital tools. By offering varied, shorter term opportunities, organisations can attract these high-calibre professionals, boosting their ability to grow in a competitive market.

For support in accessing interim talent with the skillsets you need, reducing hiring friction, and meeting internal demands quickly, please get in touch with me directly or contact Heidrick.