REC response to ONS labour market figures, June 2022

The ONS has published its latest labour market update this morning. Commenting on the figures, Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the REC, said:

“These latest figures show what a great time it is to be looking for work. We another record number of vacancies, and pay is growing strongly as companies seek to attract people to work for them. Temporary work continues to play a big part in the labour market, helping companies fill roles and people to find work quickly.

“But employment is still lower than pre-pandemic, and while economic inactivity is down this quarter, it is still much higher than two years ago. There is not yet any sign of the economic slowdown affecting the jobs market, but if we don’t address the fact that there are not enough people looking for work, this could put another dampener on the UK’s economic growth.

“There are three main things we can do. We have to improve our activation programmes to help Job Centres get people into work quickly, and radically reform the skills system to help fill some of the gaps. And we also need an immigration system that is flexible enough to address the really sharp shortages we’re seeing in some parts of the economy.”

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