REC response to ONS labour market figures, June 2025

The ONS published its latest labour market figures this morning. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Chief Executive Neil Carberry said:

“These figures remind us of the old adage that the jobs market shadows the economy, a few months behind. A tough winter, as firms struggled to grow was compounded by increases in NI, the tax on jobs. More recent employer surveys are somewhat more hopeful, but these figures emphasise again the need for the government to support businesses through a truly effective industrial strategy. Making sure that unnecessary additional burdens on hiring are removed from the Employers Rights Bill will be vital, especially as today’s numbers suggest more workers who were previously inactive are trying to return to work.”