
This month’s figures continue to present signs of a cooling labour market: vacancies are continuing to drop, unemployment levels rose, and nominal regular wage growth has plateaued back to 5% after intermittently hovering at 6% over the past year.
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Posted around 11 months ago •
In the quarter to April 2026, employment and inactivity levels rose, unemployment fell, vacancies continued to decline, and regular wage growth in the private sector slowed to its lowest level in over five years. Youth unemployment also remained concerningly high.
In the quarter to February 2026, the unemployment level and rate fell, employment levels rose slightly but the employment rate decreased, and wage growth continued to slow. There was also a notable uptick in economic inactivity, and vacancies have fallen even further.
