Leeds drives England’s full-time employment surge as Employment Hero partners with Leeds Rhinos

LEEDS, 9 April 2026: Full-time employment across the UK is growing nearly three times faster than part-time work, according to new data from Employment Hero, a global leader in HR, hiring and payroll software. Analysis of anonymised records from more than 100,000 employees found that full-time roles grew 13.4% year-on-year in 2026 to date, compared to just 4.9% growth in part-time employment – a significant shift towards stable, permanent work that has accelerated sharply since the start of the year.

Leeds is leading that national trend. Full-time employment in the city grew by nearly 20% year-on-year (19.4%) in February 2026, the fastest rate of any city in England, just ahead of Bristol (19.3%).

The findings come as Employment Hero announces a new partnership with Leeds Rhinos, one of rugby league’s most historic and beloved clubs. The partnership unites two organisations with a shared commitment to supporting people, building strong teams and investing in the communities that matter most.

Separate research from Employment Hero reveals that more than eight in ten (81%) business owners in Yorkshire say they started their business to contribute to their local area, higher than the UK national average of 76%, highlighting the strong sense of community that underpins entrepreneurship in the region.

Rugby league has been part of the fabric of northern England for generations, and Leeds Rhinos have played a central role in that story for more than a century. Founded in the streets of Leeds in 1865 and one of the founding clubs of rugby league itself, the Rhinos are woven into the identity of the city. 

Today, the club is as much about the community as it is the game. The Leeds Rhinos Foundation runs employment programmes that help young people take their first steps into work and support adults who have fallen out of it, from CV writing and job searching to pathways into careers. That commitment to employment  is what makes this partnership with Employment Hero a natural fit. 

Working with the club, Employment Hero will collaborate on a programme of activity designed to engage and support business leaders and the wider community. This will include tailored experiences for local employers at Headingley Stadium, offering insight into how elite sporting organisations operate behind the scenes.

Maisie Goss, UK VP Marketing at Employment Hero commented:

“As a born and bred Leodensian, seeing Leeds lead England’s full-time employment growth is something I’m extremely proud of. What our research tells us is that Yorkshire business owners aren’t just growing for growth’s sake. Businesses are backing their local area, and you see that in how they hire, how they invest in their people, and how they show up for their communities. Employment Hero exists to make all of that easier. This partnership with Leeds Rhinos, a club built on those same community-led values, is about making sure the employers driving Yorkshire’s growth have everything they need to keep doing it.”

Jamie Jones-Buchanan MBE, CEO of Leeds Rhinos, said:

“I was born in Leeds, I played my whole career here and this city runs through everything I do. Rugby league has always been the sport of working people – built on tight-knit communities, hard graft and looking out for each other. That’s exactly what I see in the small business owners across this region every single day. The partnership with Employment Hero feels like a natural fit because they understand that. It’s not just commercial, it’s about making sure the people who keep this city moving have the backing they deserve and can continue creating jobs in our city.”