Author: Admin

Consumer confidence took a step back in August as job security worsened to its weakest level for more than three years, according to new figures. The closely watched S&P Global UK consumer sentiment index slipped to 42.9 for the month, compared with a previous four-month high of 43.4 in July. Any reading below 50 indicates that sentiment remains broadly negative. Maryam Baluch, Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said: "The recent better growth seen in the economy is failing to feed through to households. "The latest survey shows labour market concerns emerging as a growing drag on consumer confidence." The latest survey showed that job security data dropped to a reading...

The Work Foundation at Lancaster University responded to the labour market figures for August 2026 released by the Office for National Statistics. Ben Harrison, Director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University commented:“Today’s figures indicate the UK remains trapped in a deepening jobs drought. Vacancies have fallen to the lowest level outside of the Covid-19 pandemic since 2014, and young people are facing some of the toughest conditions for finding work in more than a decade.“Unemployment remains unchanged at 4.9%, but the headline figure masks a particularly difficult jobs market for young people. Youth unemployment among 16-24 year olds now...

Ongoing weakness in private-sector hiring and wage growth suggests the bar is still relatively high for a rate hike in 2026, barring a severe and prolonged spike in energy prices. We expect the Bank of England to remain on hold this year and resume rate cuts from spring 2027.If the UK economy really is picking up speed – as last week’s GDP data tentatively hints – then there’s little sign of it in the jobs market.Admittedly, just like the growth figures, it really depends on where you look. Government is still actively hiring, a trend we've seen throughout this year. Payroll growth is running at 1.1% on a three-month annualised basis, though we have our doubts over how long this can continue given the more austere plans for public spending coming down the track.In sharp contrast, consumer-facing industries (hospitality and retail) have been consistently shedding jobs, and if anything, the pace of decline is getting worse. That follows ongoing pressure since...

M&Co, which was founded in 1834 and operated 168 stores across the UK, owed more than £46 million at the time of its collapse. The clothing retailer closed all of its brick-and-mortar stores across the UK in spring 2023 after going into administration, including past local branches in places like Didcot, Abingdon, and Kidlington Newly published documents reveal that more than 600 unsecured creditors will lose more than £33 million, with the case moving from administration to dissolution in June. READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson gives update on future as he admits 'too difficult' Adele Macleod, Gavin Park and Robert Harding of Teneo were appointed joint administrators, marking the second time the company had entered administration. M&Co first entered administration during the pandemic, resulting in the loss of 47 stores and 380 jobs. The company was bought back by...

UK payrolled employee estimates data fell by 78,000, or 0.3 per cent between June 2025 and June 2026, pointing to a softer employment backdrop for textile, apparel and retail employers, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). On the month, the estimate was largely unchanged, decreasing by 13,000, rounded to 0 per cent, between May and June 2026.For April to June 2026, the number of payrolled employees fell by 86,000, or 0.3 per cent, over the year and by 37,000, or 0.1 per cent, over the quarter, In its Labour market overview, UK: August 2026, ONS said the early estimate for July 2026 decreased by 94,000, or 0.3 per cent, on the year and by 13,000, rounded to 0.0 per cent, on the month, to 30.3 million; the July figure is provisional and is likely to be revised when more data are received next month.UK labour market conditions softened, with payrolled employment falling 0.3 per cent year on year in...

UK businesses are not telling a simple story about AI replacing workers. The sharper point is that AI is creating roles for people with current skills while making the old entry points harder to find. A quarter of UK employers are hiring for AI skills now, and one in five are creating AI-specific roles. According to Lloyds Bank Business Barometer figures reported by Bloomberg on August 17, the survey covered 1,200 UK businesses and found that companies are putting AI into their hiring and training plans, not just their software budgets. Fifty-eight percent plan to spend more over the next year on building AI skills inside their existing workforce. That's the real story. The panic around AI and jobs has been led by American technology companies cutting staff while spending enormous sums on data centers. In Britain, the evidence is messier and more useful for you if you're hiring, looking for work, or trying to work out what skills still carry weight. Compare...

Pound Drops Below 1.3550 As UK Jobs Data Disappoints; CPI Next In Focus Skip to content Home Forex News Pound Drops Below 1.3550 as UK Jobs Data Disappoints; CPI Next in Focus Source link...

A notable surge in job vacancies for delivery drivers, couriers, actors, entertainers, presenters and pest control officers has been seen in recent weeks, new research indicates.Overall, the UK job market saw 1.7 million adverts in June, marking a 9 per cent increase on May and an 11 per cent rise year-on-year, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (Rec).The biggest regional increases were recorded in Anglesey, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and Cheshire.Significant rises were also noted in agriculture, retail, and hospitality roles, which Rec suggests bodes well for summer seasonal hiring.Lorraine Laryea, Rec's chief standards officer, said: "There is a clear uptick in firms taking action on long-held hiring plans. We do need to be careful of seasonal effects, including the two bank holidays in May and the onset of summer hiring in locations like Cornwall, but the general trend is clear."Firms are venturing back to hiring and vacancies are now above pre-Gulf crisis levels.Vacancies for pest control...

M&Co, which was founded in 1834 and operated 168 stores across the UK, owed more than £46 million at the time of its collapse. The clothing retailer closed all of its brick-and-mortar stores across the UK in spring 2023 after going into administration. Newly published documents reveal that more than 600 unsecured creditors will lose more than £33 million, with the case moving from administration to dissolution in June. Adele Macleod, Gavin Park and Robert Harding of Teneo were appointed joint administrators, marking the second time the company had entered administration. M&Co first entered administration during the pandemic, resulting in the loss of 47 stores and 380 jobs. The company was bought back by the founding family, but administrators were once again appointed in 2022. In their latest report, the administrators said: “We adjudicated all claims received and...