Job vacancies in the UK have fallen for the eighth time in a row as companies blamed economic pressures for holding back on hiring new staff. The official figures come a day ahead of Wednesday’s Budget when the chancellor is expected to set out plans to encourage people back into work.
The number of jobs on offer between December and February fell by 51,000 compared with the three months before.
Despite the drop, the number of job vacancies remains high at 1.1 million. There are also 328,000 more vacancies compared to the pre-pandemic period of between January and March 2020.
UK Job Vacancies Fall
The rate of economic inactivity – people aged between 16 to 64 who are not in work and not seeking a job – dipped to 21.3% between November and January.
This was driven by younger people aged between 16 to 24 either getting jobs or looking for work.
However, there are still nine million economically inactive Britons who are not part of the workforce either because they are students, have retired or are suffering from long-term illness.
On Wednesday, it is anticipated that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will detail how the government intends to entice people back into work. One measure expected to be announced is a boost to the amount that people can save for their pensions before it is taxed.
Meanwhile, pay growth appeared to be stalling, according to the data from Office for National Statistics.
The average weekly salary in the UK, excluding bonuses, in January stood at £589, up by £1 on a month before.
Throughout 2022, the average salary rose by nearly £3 a month.
That was not enough to keep up with the cost of living. The average salary fell by 2.4% in the three months to January compared to the same period last year after taking account rising prices, or inflation.
While the rate of inflation is falling, it remains high at 10.1%.
Darren Morgan, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said: “Although the inflation rate has come down a little, it’s still outstripping earnings growth, meaning real pay continues to fall.”
The ONS also detailed that there were 220,000 working days lost to strike action in January. However, this was far lower than 822,000 recorded in December when widespread industrial action hit areas such as postal deliveries and train services.