Labour Market

Although payroll employment continues to rise and the unemployment rate is falling, the headline figures reflect several distorting factors, including rising economic inactivity.

Latest figures released today by the British Chambers of Commerce show the pressure on firms struggling to recruit staff remains at record high levels. The data for the leading business group’s Quarterly Recruitment Outlook survey for Q1 2022 was

Commenting on the ONS Labour Market statistics for April 2022, BCC Head of Economics, Suren Thiru, said:

Rising payroll employment and declining unemployment suggests that demand for workers remains robust despite growing headwinds.

The increase in payroll employment in January suggests that Omicron had little effect on the UK labour market as demand for workers remained robust. While it is encouraging that payroll employment is rising and

Connecting job-ready people to vacancies is a welcome move. Our research shows that four out of five firms are struggling to find staff to fill jobs across a wide range of sectors and skill

New figures released today by the British Chambers of Commerce saw the proportion of firms struggling to recruit staff reach new record levels.

Rising payroll employment and falling unemployment confirm that the UK jobs market has continued to rebound strongly despite a slowing recovery and the end of furlough. Record vacancies underscore the severe recruitment crunch facing

“This new guidance will help all employers to confidently implement and roll-out hybrid working in a way that is fair and accessible to their workforce."

Record job vacancies suggest that the chronic staff shortages encountered by businesses are intensifying and this could derail the recovery by forcing firms into a more long-lasting decline in their operating capacity.