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The UK & Ireland Onshoring Guide
Published date: 6 August 2026
Regional talent insights to support business growth
As organisations reassess where teams should be located, workforce planning and location strategy are becoming increasingly linked. Whether you're evaluating a shared service centre, building a centre of excellence, relocating business functions or exploring regional expansion opportunities, understanding local talent markets is critical to making informed decisions.
The UK & Ireland Onshoring Guide brings together talent market intelligence, salary benchmarking and Vacancysoft hiring demand data to help organisations evaluate leading talent hubs across the UK and Ireland. The guide focuses on the disciplines most commonly associated with onshoring activity: Accounting & Finance, Technology, Human Resources and Business Support.
What is onshoring?
Onshoring is the practice of relocating business functions from higher-cost or highly saturated locations, such as London and the South East, to other parts of the UK or Ireland. Today, organisations are increasingly considering regional locations for finance functions, technology teams, shared service centres, customer operations and specialist centres of excellence as part of wider workforce and growth strategies.
What's included in the guide?
The guide is built using 2026 labour market data, Robert Walters Market Intelligence insights, and vacancy trend data from Vacancysoft. It provides a data-led view of the top UK and Ireland locations most commonly considered for onshoring initiatives.
1. Onshoring trends and market insights
- Factors driving increased onshoring and operational relocations outside London
- Onshoring vs offshoring: comparing talent access, cost considerations, implementation and regulatory factors
- The functions most commonly relocated to regional hubs and shared service centres
2. Regional strengths and hiring hotspots
- Major cities and talent hotspots
- Regional strengths and investment trends
- Graduate pipelines and workforce characteristics
- Industries driving hiring demand and growth
3. Skilled workforce market overview for each region
For each location, and across Accounting & Finance, Technology, HR and Business Support, discover:
- Talent pool size and location distribution
- Top occupations and skills by region
- Fastest-growing occupations and skillsets
- Skills availability and hiring demand trends
4. Salary benchmarking: typical salaries in regions compared to London
For roles commonly found within shared service centres, operational hubs and centres of excellence, the guide provides:
- London vs regional salary comparisons
- Permanent salary ranges
- Contract and interim day-rate benchmarks
5. Supporting insight and real-world expertise
- Commentary from Robert Walters regional directors on the local market
- Market Intelligence forecasts on regional growth and relocation trends
- Examples of how Robert Walters has supported shared service centre hiring and onshoring projects
Top locations outside of London for regional business operations
The guide covers seven top locations for regional expansion, shared service centres and operational relocations.
Locations included in this guide:
1. North West
Home to Manchester and Liverpool, one of the UK's largest regional talent markets and a significant hub for shared services, technology and professional services.
2. West Midlands
Centred around Birmingham, with a large working population, strong transport infrastructure and a well-established business ecosystem.
3. East Midlands
A region benefiting from growing investment, strong connectivity and access to a diverse workforce.
4. Yorkshire & The Humber
Including Edinburgh and Glasgow, combining established industries, highly skilled professionals and a strong university network.
5. Wales
An increasingly important location for organisations exploring regional growth and operational expansion.
6. Scotland
Including Edinburgh and Glasgow, combining established industries, highly skilled professionals and a strong university network.
7. Republic of Ireland
Although technically a nearshoring destination, Ireland is frequently evaluated alongside UK locations as part of wider talent and location strategies.
Download the guide to discover more about each of these locations, to help understand which market would best suit your organisation's goals - simply fill in the form on this page to get your copy.
Planning an onshoring project?
Robert Walters can support onshoring initiatives, with end-to-end recruitment support - whether you need talent mapping, sourcing specialist talent, or building and scaling entire functions.
With strategically placed offices across the UK and Ireland, we combine reach with deep local expertise to deliver effective hiring strategies in regional hubs. Share your requirements with our team, and we'll connect you with experts who understand the local market, talent landscape and hiring challenges relevant to your project.
To arrange a no-obligation meeting about your onshoring needs, submit a requirement, or contact one of our local directors, who work closely with organisations expanding, relocating functions, and building teams across the UK and Ireland.
Our regional talent specialists
Lucy Bisset
Senior Director, North
Lucy heads up our teams across the North West providing professional services recruitment. She combines extensive market knowledge spanning various industries with a nuanced understanding of both regional and national hiring landscapes. Lucy frequently advises organisations on adapting to shifting talent demands and her teams have supported multiple shared service centre and regional relocation projects. Get in touch if you are exploring onshoring in the North West, Yorkshire, or Scotland.
Habiba Khatoon
Director, Midlands
Habiba oversees our Midlands-based teams delivering specialist professional services recruitment. She offers expert insights into national and regional job trends as well as evolving workplace dynamics within white-collar industries. Habiba is passionate about helping businesses navigate changing workforce expectations. Her teams have a strong track record of supporting organisations with scaling and building regional operations in the region. Get in touch if you are exploring onshoring in the Midlands or Wales.
Suzanne Feeney
Country Manager, Ireland
Suzanne leads our teams across Ireland from Dublin, supporting organisations with recruitment and talent strategies across the country. She combines extensive knowledge of the Irish talent market with a nuanced understanding of both local and international hiring trends. Suzanne frequently advises organisations on evolving workforce demands and regional growth opportunities. Her teams have supported businesses with expansion projects and the establishment of new operations across Ireland. Get in touch if you are exploring nearshoring to Ireland.
FAQs
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Why are more businesses relocating functions outside London?
Businesses are increasingly reviewing where teams are located to support growth, fill critical skills gaps and build long-term workforce resilience.
While London remains a major business hub, many organisations are exploring regional locations across the UK and Ireland for functions such as finance, technology, HR, business support and shared services.
Common reasons include:
- Access to wider talent pools beyond London's highly competitive market.
- Lower salary and operating costs in many regional locations.
- Easier hiring for growth, particularly when scaling teams or opening new functions.
- Improved employee retention in locations with lower turnover and cost of living pressures.
- Greater flexibility to establish shared service centres, operational hubs and centres of excellence.
- Support for long-term workforce planning, reducing reliance on a single geographic location.
Every location offers different advantages, which is why organisations are increasingly taking a data-led approach to location strategy, considering talent availability, salary expectations and hiring demand alongside cost.
Exploring relocating a business function? Fill in the form to download our UK & Ireland Guide to Onshoring to compare salary benchmarks, talent availability, and labour market trends across leading regional talent hubs.
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How can salary benchmarking support location decisions?
Salary benchmarking helps organisations understand local market expectations and compare remuneration across different regions. However, successful location strategies typically consider salary data alongside talent availability, hiring demand and future workforce requirements.
The guide includes salary ranges and contract day rate ranges for a variety of core job titles typically hired during onshoring or shared service centre projects - fill in the form to compare regional salaries against London.
For more role-specific salary data, explore the Robert Walters Salary Survey which covers a wider range of roles.
Our Talent Advisory team also offer bespoke talent mapping and salary benchmarking for more specific data for your organisational needs.
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Is onshoring or offshoring better for shared service centres?
There is no single "better" approach. Onshoring typically offers closer access to UK talent, easier collaboration and greater alignment with local regulations, while offshoring can provide access to larger talent pools and lower operating costs in some markets.
The right approach depends on your organisation's priorities. Employers evaluating shared service centres, technology hubs and operational functions often compare factors such as:
- Access to specialist talent
- Salary and operating costs
- Time zones and collaboration
- Regulatory and compliance requirements
- Speed of implementation
- Long-term workforce scalability
Many organisations now take a blended approach, combining UK regional hubs with offshore teams to balance cost, talent availability and operational resilience.
The UK & Ireland Guide to Onshoring explores the considerations behind location decisions and highlights why many organisations are increasingly evaluating regional UK and Ireland talent markets as part of their workforce strategy. Download your copy today by filling in the form on this page.
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Can Robert Walters support shared service centre and regional expansion projects?
Yes. Robert Walters supports organisations with talent mapping, workforce planning, salary benchmarking and recruitment projects across the UK and Ireland.
Whether you're building a shared service centre, expanding an operational team or establishing a centre of excellence, Robert Walters' regional recruitment specialists can provide market insight and recruitment support tailored to your requirements.
With strategically placed offices in Manchester, Birmingham and Dublin, Robert Walters has local market knowledge and an established, trusted pool of quality candidates.
Submit a hiring requirement and a member of the team will be in touch to arrange a no-obligation discussion about how we can support.