Job vacancies fall again across the UK

New data just released by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows job vacancies across the country fell by 85,000 to 1,034,000 vacancies in the second quarter of the year.

This is the 12^th consecutive fall in vacancies.

Nationally, the UK has an employment rate of 76%, up 0.2% over the previous quarter, due mostly to a rise in part-time workers. This is likely a result of more people returning to the workplace to cope with the rise in the cost of living. Even so, the UK still has an official employment rate of 4% of people aged 16+, a total of 1,370,000.

While the ONS statistics show growth in employees’ average total pay, once this is adjusted for inflation, in real terms, salaries fell by between 0.8% and 1.2%. Statistics also show 128,000 working days in the UK were lost in this latest analysis period due to labour disputes.

While the general market outlook remains uncertain, First Choice Staff is still seeing strong demand from employers looking to recruit in the freight, transport, logistics, distribution, driving, warehouse, and hospitality sectors. See our latest vacancies at https://www.firstchoiceuk.com/job-search/