Labour Market Update
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Unemployment rises to highest level in almost four years, and the jobs market continues to show signs of weakening
In the quarter to April 2025, wage growth across the economy remained strong, but is weaker compared to recent months. Unemployment and employment levels both rose (unemployment notably so), and economic inactivity fell, but still sits above 9 million.
Jun 11, 2025
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Wage growth plateaus but remains strong, while vacancy levels continue to dip
In the three months to March 2025, wage growth across the economy remained strong and, while wages continued to rise in nominal and real terms, the rate of wage growth is showing signs of slowing.
May 14, 2025
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Employment and unemployment levels continue to rise, while vacancies fall to lowest level in almost four years
In the three months to February 2025, wage growth across the economy showed signs of plateauing but remains strong, unemployment and employment levels both increased, while inactivity fell but is still stubbornly high.
Apr 15, 2025
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Wage growth stabilises but remains strong, while youth unemployment levels continue to climb
In the quarter to January 2025, wage growth across the economy remained strong, unemployment and employment levels increased, and economic inactivity has continued to fall but remains high.
Mar 20, 2025
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Regular wage growth continues to climb, while employment and unemployment levels increase
In the quarter to December 2024, wage growth across the economy remained strong, unemployment and employment levels increased, and economic inactivity marginally fell but remains high.
Feb 18, 2025
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Wage growth persists while employment figures continue to paint a mixed picture
In the quarter to November 2024, wage growth across the economy remained strong, unemployment and employment levels both increased, and economic inactivity marginally fell but remains high.
Jan 21, 2025
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Wage growth remains strong and vacancies edge closer to pre-pandemic levels
In the period between August and October 2024, wage growth across the economy remained strong, employment and unemployment levels both increased, while vacancies and inactivity fell.
Dec 17, 2024
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Vacancies continue to decline while inactivity marginally falls
In the period between July and September 2024, wage growth across the economy remained strong, employment and unemployment levels both increased, while vacancies and inactivity both fell. The data continues to paint a mixed picture of the labour market, with conditions cooling but limited labour pool hindering business’s ability to grow.
Nov 12, 2024
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Employment rises and vacancies fall, as the labour market continues to soften
In the period between June and August 2024, wage growth across the economy remained strong, the employment rate increased, and high inactivity rate persisted. This paints a mixed picture of the labour market, with conditions cooling but limited labour pool hindering business’s ability to grow.
Oct 15, 2024
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The labour market softens
The labour market continues to send mixed signals with a continued softening of hiring intentions and vacancies, but easing pay pressures and a small decrease in long-term sickness for the fourth month in a row.
Sep 10, 2024
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Unemployment Falls Marginally
The labour market shows a gradual slowdown, with vacancies still above pre-pandemic levels, while pay rates remain high due to last year's inflation.
Aug 14, 2024
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The labour market continues to cool
This month's labour market figures continue to show signs of gradual cooling, with the number of vacancies still falling and unemployment rising.
Jul 18, 2024
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The labour market continues to show signs of cooling
This month’s figures continue to show signs that the labour market may be cooling. The number of vacancies continues to fall and is unemployment rising.
Jun 11, 2024
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Unemployment and inactivity rise while pay plateaus
The latest ONS data shows a largely unchanged labour market that remains tight overall but continues to slowly soften.
May 14, 2024
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Unemployment and inactivity rise while pay plateaus
The latest ONS data covers the period from January to March 2024 and shows a largely unchanged labour market that remains tight overall but continues to slowly soften.
Apr 16, 2024
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Growth in employment falls while economic inactivity increases
The latest ONS data covers the period from December 2023 to February 2024 and shows a largely unchanged labour market that remains tight overall but continues to slowly soften.
Mar 12, 2024
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Growth In employment slows while economic inactivity increases
The latest ONS data covers the period from November 2023 to January 2024 and shows a labour market that remains tight overall but continues to slowly soften. Growth in employment has slowed while economic inactivity has increased.
Feb 13, 2024
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Pay growth slows while vacancies continue to fall
The latest ONS data covers the period from October to December 2023 and shows a labour market that remains tight overall but continues to slowly soften.
Jan 16, 2024
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Pay growth softens while vacancies continue to fall
The latest ONS data cover the period from September to November 2023 and show a labour market that remains tight overall but continues to soften.
Dec 13, 2023
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The Labour Market Continues To Soften With Unemployment Increasing And Vacancies Falling
The latest ONS data cover the period from June to August 2023 and show a labour market that continues to soften.
Oct 24, 2023
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Wages outpace inflation while unemployment increases and vacancies continue to fall
The latest ONS data cover the period from May to July 2023 and show a labour market that remains tight but with increasing signs of softening.
Sep 14, 2023
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Pay rises faster than inflation for the first time in almost two years, while economic inactivity and vacancies continue to fall
The latest ONS data cover the period from April to June 2023 and show a labour market that continues to softening, with the employment rate decreasing, unemployment increasing, and economic inactivity and vacancies both falling. However, real time Pay-As-You-Earn data for July 2023 showed that the number of payrolled employees increased by 97,000 to 30.2 million.
Aug 15, 2023
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Wage growth remains strong while economic inactivity and vacancies continue to fall
The latest ONS data cover the period from March to May 2023 and show a labour market that remains tight but continues to cool down, with employment and unemployment rates both increasing and economic inactivity and vacancies both falling.
Jul 11, 2023
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Economic inactivity decreases, vacancies continue to fall but shortages are still a break on growth
The latest ONS data cover the period from February to April 2023 and show a labour market that remains tights but continues to soften.
Jun 13, 2023
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Labour market remains tight but vacancies continue to fall
The latest ONS data cover the period from January to March 2023 and portray a labour market that continues to show signs of softening.
May 19, 2023
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Economic inactivity falls but long-term sickness reaches record high
The latest ONS data cover the period from November 2022 to January 2023 and show a labour market that continues to show signs of softening.
Mar 14, 2023
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Strong pay growth fails to keep pace with inflation
The latest ONS data cover the period from October to December 2022 and show a labour market that is continuing to show early signs of softening.
Feb 15, 2023
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Number of vacancies softens and record pay growth fails to keep pace with inflation
The latest ONS data cover the period from September to November 2022 and show a labout market that is starting to evidence early signs of softening.
Jan 17, 2023
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Labour market remains tight but the number of vacancies keeps falling
The latest ONS data cover the period from August to October 2022 and show a labour market that remains tight, with the employment rate slightly increasing, economic inactivity decreasing and vacancies falling for the fifth quarter in a row.
Dec 13, 2022
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Labour market remains tight as inflation erodes record pay growth
The latest ONS data cover the period from July to September 2022 and show a labour market that remains tight, with the employment rate decreasing, unemployment decreasing, economic inactivity rising sharply and vacancies falling for the fourth quarter in a row.
Nov 16, 2022
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Further increase in economic inactivity as pay growth continues to fall
The latest ONS data cover the period from June to August 2022
Oct 12, 2022
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Sharp increase in economic inactivity as talent pools shrink across the board
The latest ONS data covers the period from May to July 2022 and shows a labour market that is plateauing.
Sep 13, 2022
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Real pay growth continues to fall amid worsening cost of living crisis
The latest ONS data covers the period from April to June 2022.
Aug 17, 2022
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Real pay growth continues to disappoint leading to a squeeze on pay packets
The latest ONS data cover the period from March 2022 to May 2022 and shows a continued tightening of the labour market.
Jul 20, 2022
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Pay growth continues to disappoint and falls further behind inflation
The latest ONS data covers the period from February 2022 to April 2022, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Jun 15, 2022
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Labour market continues to tighten but pay growth falls further behind inflation
The latest ONS data covers the period from January 2022 to March 2022, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
May 18, 2022
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Labour market continues to create jobs but pay growth fails to keep up with inflation
The latest ONS data covers the period from December 2021 to February 2022, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Apr 13, 2022
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Employment rate continues to rise but pay growth remains below inflation
The latest ONS data covers the period from November 2021 to January 2022, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Mar 16, 2022
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Employment rate increases but pay growth falls behind inflation
The latest ONS data covers the period from October to December 2021, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Feb 15, 2022
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Labour market continues strong recovery, but real pay falls
The latest ONS data covers the period from September to November 2021, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Jan 19, 2022
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Labour market sees strong recovery, but uncertainty and new restrictions present a challenge for business
The latest ONS data covers the period from August to October 2021, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Dec 15, 2021
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Labour market sees strong recovery - Nov
The latest ONS data covers the period from July to September 2021, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Nov 16, 2021
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Labour market sees strong recovery
The latest ONS data covers the period from June to August 2021, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Oct 13, 2021
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Employment sees continued growth
The latest ONS data cover the period from May to July 2021, providing a snapshot of labour market activity during the reopening of the economy.
Sep 14, 2021
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Labour Market continues to strengthen
The latest ONS data cover the period from April to June 2021
Aug 18, 2021
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Labour market continues to recover
The latest ONS data cover the period from March to May 2021, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Jul 15, 2021
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Labour market shows further signs of recovery
The latest ONS data covers the period from February to April 2021, providing a snapshot of labour market activity
Jun 15, 2021
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Labour market remains resilient with some early signs of recovery
The latest ONS data covers the period from January to March 2021, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
May 18, 2021
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Labour market sees further fall in employment, but remains relatively resilient
The latest ONS data covers the period from December 2020 to February 2021. providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Apr 20, 2021
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Labour market sees continuous fall in employment, but remains relatively resilient
The latest ONS data covers the period from November 2020 to January 2021, providing a snapshot of labour market activity during a period of renewed restrictions and lockdowns.
Mar 23, 2021
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Labour market continues to weaken, but remains relatively resilient
The latest ONS data covers the period from October to December 2020, providing a snapshot of labour market activity
Feb 24, 2021
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Labour market deteriorates further, with unemployment and redundancies continuing to rise
The latest ONS data covers the period between September and November 2020, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Jan 26, 2021
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Labour market declines further, with unemployment and redundancies rising sharply
The latest ONS data covers the period between August and October 2020, providing a snapshot of labour market activity
Dec 15, 2020
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Labour market continues to deteriorate, with unemployment and redundancies rising sharply
The latest ONS data covers the period between July and September 2020, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Nov 10, 2020
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The impact of the pandemic is felt in the labour market, with unemployment and redundancies rising
The latest ONS data covers the period June to August 2020, providing a snapshot of labour market activity.
Oct 14, 2020
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Labour market coming out of stasis, with unemployment and redundancies on the rise
The latest ONS data covers the period between May and July 2020, providing the first snapshot of labour market activity in the aftermath of a more substantial easing of lockdown
Sep 15, 2020
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Coronavirus is leaving a devastating mark on the labour market
The latest ONS data covers the period between April to June 2020 - part of the most restrictive period of the lockdown introduced in the second half of March and the beginning of lockdown easing.
Aug 10, 2020
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The labour market continues to deteriorate
The latest ONS data covers the period between March to May 2020 – a period covering the most restrictive part of the lockdown that was introduced in the second half of March.
Jul 17, 2020
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January 2020: Employment back to record high while pay growth slows further
Going into the new year it is clear that the labour market continued to grow strongly. The employment rate remained at a record high, with the unemployment rate rising slightly but remaining close to record low.
Mar 16, 2020
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Employment rate back to record high, while pay growth slows
Latest data from the ONS paints a familiar picture of the UK labour market. The employment rate returned to a record high, with the unemployment rate remaining close to record low. This strong employment growth was driven by significantly more women in employment
Feb 18, 2020
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Employment back to record high while pay growth is stable in the new year
Latest data from the ONS once again shows a familiar picture of the UK labour market. The employment rate stood at a record high with the unemployment rate remaining close to record low. And there was the strongest employment growth in 10 months with more than two thirds of the growth driven by women.
Jan 21, 2020
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Employment back to record high while pay growth is stable
Latest data from the ONS painted a familiar picture of the UK labour market. The employment rate stood at a record high, with the unemployment rate remaining close to record low.
Dec 18, 2019
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Employment fell and pay growth is softening
Latest data from the ONS showed that the UK labour market remains in a good place, but there are signs that the uncertainty that has been holding back the economy as a whole has now reached the labour market, with employment falling and pay growth softening.
Nov 13, 2019
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Employment fell but pay growth remains strong
Latest data from the ONS showed that the UK labour market remains in a good place, but there are signs showing that employment growth is tailing off. Both, the unemployment rate and inactivity rate have increased. While vacancies have declined again and employment fell for the first time since late 2017, the labour market remains tight on the whole.
Oct 16, 2019
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UK labour market remains tight, but growth may have peaked
Latest data from the ONS painted a familiar picture of the UK labour market. The employment rate stood at close to a record high, and the unemployment rate remains at its lowest since the 1970s. While there are signs of labour market growth softening—with vacancies declining again and employment growth slowing, the labour market remains tight on the whole.
Sep 10, 2019
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Employment rate at record high as pay growth strengthens
Latest data from the ONS showed a mixed picture of the UK labour market. The employment rate is back to a record high, but unemployment has increased. Across the UK, the regions and nations have seen a mixed picture on employment, while unemployment has remained broadly unchanged.
Aug 14, 2019
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Employment growth is slowing, but pay growth strengthens
Latest data from the ONS showed further signs that growth in the UK labour market is tailing off. But while the employment rate edged lower, the unemployment rate remained at a multi-decade low. At the same time, however, the number of employees fell for the second consecutive quarter—the small rise in employment in the three months to May was mostly driven by self-employment. But the picture was mixed across the regions and nations.
Jul 17, 2019
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Employment at record high, unemployment at record low
According to the ONS, the UK labour market continues to defy gravity, outperforming the rest of the economy. The employment rate remains at a record high, with the unemployment rate at a record low.
Jun 12, 2019
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Employment remains at record high
According to the ONS, the UK labour market continues to outperform the rest of the economy. The employment rate remains at a record high, with the unemployment rate at a record low.
May 15, 2019
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Labour market continues to outperform, but productivity lags behind
According to the ONS, the UK labour market continues to outperform the rest of the economy.
Apr 16, 2019
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Employment growth rises once again to new record high
According to the ONS, the UK labour market continued to defy gravity in the beginning of 2019 against a backdrop of tepid economic growth and heightened uncertainty.
Mar 20, 2019
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Labour Market Update February 2019
According to the ONS, the UK labour market continued to grow strongly at the end of 2018, against a backdrop of tepid economic growth and heightened uncertainty.
Feb 20, 2019
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2019 begins with employment levels at a record high
The ONS's latest findings kick off 2019 with a familiar picture—employment is at a record high and unemployment remains low.
Jan 23, 2019
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Employment is at record high, unemployment remains low, and pay growth strengthens further
The latest CBI and Pertemps Labour Market Update is here... read on for December's stats.
Dec 12, 2018
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Employment rises with unemployment remaining low
The ONS's latest labour market statistics show employment rising and pay growth edging higher once again.
Nov 14, 2018
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Pay growth is the strongest in a decade
The ONS’s latest labour market data saw employment growth tailing off. The labour market remains tight, with unemployment still at its lowest since 1975.
Oct 17, 2018
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Unemployment at its lowest since 1975
The employment rate remains at a record high, with employment growth similar to the relatively strong rates seen over most of 2017.
Sep 12, 2018
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Unemployment falls but size of UK workforce is shrinking
The employment rate is at record high, unemployment falls but size of UK workforce is shrinking.
Aug 15, 2018
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Employment rate at a record high
Employment remains at a record high, with growth similar to the strong rates seen over most of 2017.
Jul 18, 2018
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Strong employment growth continues
The ONS’ latest labour market data paints a familiar picture—strong employment growth and falling unemployment.
Jun 13, 2018
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UK labour market looks healthier
The latest CBI/Pertemps Labour Market Update paints a healthier picture of the UK labour market, as nominal and real pay continue to increase.
May 16, 2018
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Employment rate returns to record high, unemployment falls and real pay strengthens
The latest CBI/Pertemps Labour Market Update shows employment rates return to record high, unemployment falls and real pay strengthens.
Apr 18, 2018
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Employment rates return to record high
This month's Pertemps/CBI Labour Market Update paints a healthier picture of the UK labour market.
Mar 22, 2018
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Unemployment rises, as more inactive people look for work
The February CBI/Pertemps Labour Market Update shows the unemployment rate increased on the quarter, but remains close to a 42-year low.
Feb 22, 2018
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Employment returns to growth, but real pay continues to fall
The latest CBI Labour Market Update shows unemployment levels are still at a 42-year low, however, real wages continue to fall.
Jan 25, 2018
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Employment falls, but so does unemployment, with a record number of openings for job seekers
The latest CBI/Pertemps Labour Market Update shows there are a record number of openings for job seekers as 2017 draws to a close.
Dec 14, 2017
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Mixed picture as employment increases and unemployment decreases, but real wages continue to fall
The UK’s employment rate remains at a 42-year low with plenty of jobs being created helping employment levels rise. However, this growth is at a slower pace than in previous months.
Oct 19, 2017
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Labour market puzzle has intensified, with employment growth quickening while pay growth continues to wane
Unemployment continues to fall, with the rate once again at its lowest since 1975.
Sep 14, 2017
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Continuing strong employment growth is tainted by falling real wages, reducing household spending power
Latest figures show the unemployment rate has fallen to a 42-year low and job opportunities remain at an all-time high.
Aug 17, 2017
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More people in work, but pay growth remains negative
Latest figures have underlined the strength of the UK's flexible labour market. Labour market statistics for March 2017 to May 2017 showed a 175,000 rise in employment and 64,000 fall in unemployment.
Jul 13, 2017
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Employment continues to strengthen, but weak pay growth remains a worry
The latest Pertemps/CBI Labour Market Update follows similar trends from last month’s. While employment is at a record high (74.8%) and unemployment is falling, pay growth remains weak.
Jun 16, 2017
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Employment at record high, but pay growth continues to struggle
Check out the latest CBI/Pertemps Labour Market Update here
May 18, 2017
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Labour market strengthens, but pay growth remains a concern
Data released today by the Office for National Statistics shows a labour market that is performing well, with the number of people in employment rising and those of out of work falling.
Apr 13, 2017
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Employment falls slightly and real pay growth remains negative, but the unemployment rate stays at a 42 year low
The latest CBI Labour Market Update reveals that employment has fallen slightly for the first time in over two years.
Mar 17, 2017
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Real pay growth at its slowest rate for two years
Today's figures show that pay growth in the UK continues to disappoint. In the three months to January 2017, real wages (which strip out the effects of inflation) are now growing at the slowest rate for two years.
Mar 16, 2017
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Pay growth remains stubbornly sluggish
Today's figures show that real wage growth, which strips out the affects of inflation, in the UK is at its lowest level for over two years. With inflation increasing at a faster pace, more sustainable productivity growth will be needed to drive faster wage growth.
Feb 16, 2017
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Labour market remains steady
The UK’s flexible labour market remains a mainstay of the economy and will be key to making a success of Brexit. Wage growth accelerated to its fastest pace since 2015 over the three months to November 2016 whilst the labour market, in general, remained steady during that same period of time.
Jan 18, 2017
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Mixed picture from the labour market
Despite recent optimism, there’s a risk that the jobs market could soften in the months ahead. Our report for December paints a mixed picture with employment remaining largely the same but slowing in pace.
Dec 15, 2016