UK employment sees biggest decline for four years as job vacancies slump
UK employment suffered its sharpest decline in more than four years in the three months to September as the number of job vacancies also plunged, new figures reveal.
The number of people in work declined by 58,000 to 32.75 million in the quarter, as the number of people becoming economically inactive jumped higher, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
However, the slump in employment was smaller than analysts predicted, having forecast a decline of 102,000.
The quarterly decline in employment was nevertheless the heaviest since May 2015, when the level fell by 65,000.
The ONS said the falling number of people working in retail, on the back of a number of a recent major collapses and store closure programmes on the high street, significantly contributed to the slump in employment.
Despite the falling number of people in work, the number of people who were unemployed for the period also fell, dipping by 23,000 to 1.31 million.
Read on...
The UK employment rate was estimated at 76.0%; 0.5 percentage points higher than a year earlier but 0.1 percentage points lower than last quarter https://t.co/nl1xHBn7zQ pic.twitter.com/VBSq6H6pJM
— Office for National Statistics (@ONS) November 12, 2019
Analysts had predicted that the rate of employment would stay flat at 3.9%, but the figures revealed a decrease to 3.8% for the period.
The fall in both employment and unemployment was driven by an increase in the number of people deemed economically inactive, which covers people who have not been seeking work or are unable to work.
The slowdown in the labour market was also highlighted by another decline in the number of UK job vacancies, with the number of roles reporting the biggest annual drop in almost 10 years.
The ninth consecutive monthly slump in vacancies saw the number of positions advertised fall by 18,000 to 800,000 as the rate of decline accelerated from the previous period.
Wage growth also saw the second consecutive month of decline as earnings remained marginally below their pre-financial crisis peak.
Total pay continued to grow much faster than inflation, but the rate of growth slowed to 3.6% from 3.8% growth reported last month. Analysts had predict growth would stay flat at 3.8%.
Statisticians said the average weekly pay, in real terms before tax, for people in the UK was £470 per week.
An ONS spokesman said: “The employment rate is higher than a year ago, though broadly unchanged in recent months.
“Vacancies have seen their biggest annual fall since late 2009, but remain high by historical standards.
“The number of EU nationals in work was very little changed on the year, with almost all the growth in overseas workers coming from non-EU nationals.”
We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
From experience and conversations I’ve had with others “economically inactive”, is actually “not bothering with benefits”.
I spoke to one lady who would spend more getting to the job centre and paying for parking than she’d receive from going there, so she didn’t bother (she is back in work now).
The sad fact is people who are “looking for work” are being called “economically inactive” when they have some resources so are able to choose (in the short term) to not engage with a system designed to bully and demean instead of support.