Unlocking the Hidden Job Market: Is Your “Sweet Spot” In the Middle?

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Did you know that whilst other companies are downsizing, an estimated 88% of mid-market firms plan to increase headcount in 2026? And that mid-market companies could add an estimated 1.9 million jobs to the UK economy by 2028?

Mid-market companies are considered the hidden powerhouse of the UK economy.  They account for less than 1% of UK companies but 13% of private sector employment. They often struggle to fill vacancies at every level and are brimming with job opportunities for professionals.

And many of these job opportunities are not advertised anywhere.

Why?  Mid-market firms often lack significant recruitment budgets and big HR departments, and typically lean heavily into networking and referrals to avoid being buried under a mountain of (often AI-generated) applications.

So how can we access these hidden mid-market opportunities? A few tips:

  1. Use Gen AI as a business intelligence tool to identify every mid-market player in your sector on the Companies House register and build your “Target 20” list.  Don’t know how to do this?  Prompt your preferred LLM to tell you how.
  2. Use Gen AI to analyze the accounts and other public information of your Target 20. What are their pain points? Where is their growth stalling?  What professional skills do they need?
  3. Tailor your CV to spotlight your specific skills and experience that would address these pain points.
  4.  Identify relevant hiring managers. Consider reaching out proactively via email or LinkedIn to ask for an “information interview” centred on their pain points.  This route in may not work for all professionals but some have accessed opportunities in this way.
  5. Remember, it is often the case that we get the best business intelligence and insights into the hidden job market through face-to-face interaction. Find out which industry events and meet ups mid-market business leaders in your sector typically attend—and get out there.

For further useful reading, see these articles produced by the  Natwest Group, BDO (HERE and HERE) and the  University of Oxford.

©Penny Carballo-Smith, March 20, 2026.