Category: JOBS

The number of job vacancies in the UK has tumbled to the lowest level in five years, research suggests, falling to levels not seen since the pandemic.The number of jobs being advertised slid by 3% in January to 695,000, according to the job search site Adzuna, marking the first time advertised vacancies have dropped below 700,000 since January 2021.Graduate jobs fell below 10,000 for the first time since Adzuna began tracking this in 2016.The research comes days after official figures showed unemployment in the UK had risen to a five-year high of 5.2%, at a time when wage growth is slowing and concerns are increasing that young people are bearing the brunt of the slowdown in hiring.The fall in the number of vacancies marked a continuation in the downward trend seen during late 2025 and showed a 16% slide compared with last January and a near-20% fall since six months earlier.It highlights how sharply job opportunities have shrunk since mid-2025,...

Job switching varies markedly by occupation, shaped by entry barriers, skill specialisation and labour demand. Key points: Job switching varies by occupation: Around 2.4% of Indeed users in the UK change jobs each month, with 63% of these moving into a different occupation. Turnover is highest in entry-level roles such as loading & stocking, food preparation & service, and hospitality & tourism, and lowest in occupations like beauty & wellness, nursing, and electrical engineering.  Barriers and accessibility influence mobility: Roles with lower entry requirements or more generalised skills attract more external talent, while specialised professions such as nursing, dentistry, and software development experience lower inflows and stronger occupational attachment. Demand and skill investment drive retention: Occupations with high demand or significant barriers to entry see fewer workers leaving. High-demand or specialised roles, especially in healthcare, have lower exit rates, whereas temporary or junior roles in sectors like hospitality and retail experience much higher exit rates. People change jobs for a variety of reasons. Higher pay...

-ENDS-Contact:KPMGClaire BarrattDeputy Head of Media RelationsT:+44 (0)7923 439264claire.barratt@kpmg.co.uk RECHamant VermaCommunications ManagerT: +44 (0)20 7009 2129hamant.verma@rec.uk.comS&P GlobalAnnabel FiddesEconomics Associate DirectorS&P Global Market IntelligenceT: +44 (0)1491 461 010annabel.fiddes@spglobal.comHannah BrookEMEA Communications ManagerS&P Global Market IntelligenceT: +44-7483-439-812hannah.brook@spglobal.compress.mi@spglobal.com MethodologyThe KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs is compiled by S&P Global from responses to questionnaires sent to a panel of around 400 UK recruitment and employment consultancies. Survey responses are collected in the second half of each month and indicate the direction of change compared to the previous month. A diffusion index is calculated for each survey variable. The index is the sum of the percentage of ‘higher’ responses and half the percentage of ‘unchanged’ responses. The indices vary between 0 and 100, with a reading above 50 indicating an overall increase compared to the previous month, and below 50 an overall decrease. The indices are then seasonally adjusted.Underlying survey data are not revised after publication, but seasonal adjustment factors may be revised from time to time as...

More than half of retail jobs could be affected by reform to guaranteed working hours, making it harder for shops to employ people – particularly young workers – in part-time roles, the industry’s lobby group has warned.From April, the Employment Rights Act will introduce new protections for workers on sick pay, sexual harassment, parental leave and trade union recognition.Further rights to guaranteed hours for those currently on zero or “low hours” contracts, flexible working, payment for short-notice cancellation of shifts and barring fire-and-rehire practices in most circumstances are due next year.However, the government has yet to decide the maximum number of hours in a low-hours contract and the period of weeks over which regular working patterns can be assessed in order to decide guaranteed hours.The British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents most big UK retailers, says guaranteed hours protections should only apply to contracts of eight hours a week or fewer, and the reference period to be at least 26...

Documents reveal for the first time events surrounding the collapse of the company founded in 1834 with the closure of all 168 stores, and that unsecured creditors face losing tens of millions of pounds. Recently lodged papers show that M&Co. which started its life in Paisley as a pawnbroker before entering retail in 1953 as Mackays by family owners Len and Ian McGeoch, show that more than 600 unsecured creditors will lose more than £33m. New documents show the case moved from administration to dissolution in June and administrators' reports set out the steps leading to the failure of the business. UK high street retail giant collapsed with 168 stores closed and 1,800 jobs lost (Image: Getty Images) Adele Macleod, Gavin Park and Robert Harding, of Teneo, were earlier appointed joint administrators in the second such event. The firm first fell into administration during the pandemic with 47 stores and 380 jobs lost at the...

Documents reveal for the first time events surrounding the collapse of the company founded in 1834 with the closure of all 168 stores, and that unsecured creditors face losing tens of millions of pounds. Recently lodged papers show that M&Co. which started its life in Paisley as a pawnbroker before entering retail in 1953 as Mackays by family owners Len and Ian McGeoch, show that more than 600 unsecured creditors will lose more than £33m. New documents show the case moved from administration to dissolution in June and administrators' reports set out the steps leading to the failure of the business. UK high street retail giant collapsed with 168 stores closed and 1,800 jobs lost (Image: Getty Images) Adele Macleod, Gavin Park and Robert Harding, of Teneo, were earlier appointed joint administrators in the second such event. The firm first fell into administration during the pandemic with 47 stores and 380 jobs lost at the...

The sale covers Saputo's entire UK dairy operation, including five manufacturing sites and brands such as Clover and Country Life. Carl Colizza, president and chief executive of Saputo, said: "The value to be realised recognises the expertise of the UK team, the quality of the operations and the market position of these leading brands. "This transaction reinforces our strategic focus and enhances our financial flexibility as we continue to create long-term shareholder value through disciplined capital allocation." When will Cathedral City deal close? Cathedral City is the UK’s most popular cheese brand, with sales of £320.2 million last year, according to The Grocer’s Top Products report. Saputo’s UK division employs around 1,300 people and generated £630 million in revenue over the past year. The deal is expected...

News world AI Raises The Stakes: Why It's Getting Harder To Get An Entry-Level Job In UKLast Updated:August 16, 2026, 19:26 ISTThe youth unemployment rate in Britain has risen to 16.4%, the highest in a decade and faster than in any other G7 country, according to a report.Young graduates in the UK are struggling to get jobs due to the AI boom. (AI-Generated)The advent of artificial intelligence has sparked concerns about the future of employment worldwide. The situation is particularly taking a turn for the worse in the UK, where young professionals are struggling to get an entry-level job amidst a tough economy.According to a report by Bloomberg, the youth unemployment rate has risen to 16.4%, the highest in a decade and faster than in any other G7 country. The UK government has scrambled to control the situation by providing grants to employers to take on young workers.Georgie Blackburn, a Gloucestershire-based career coach, says entry-level jobs now...

Specialist internships designed to secure work for young people with special educational needs should be put on “turbocharge” to help tackle the growing youth jobs crisis, a government review is to propose.Alan Milburn who is leading a review of young people and work, said supported internships should be scaled up to combat “devastating” joblessness rates for young people with a learning disability, autism or mental illness.Nationally, as few as 5% of some groups of young people with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) move into permanent jobs. However, employment rates among those who complete supported internship schemes can be as high as 70%.Nearly 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK are classified as Neet (not in employment, education or training), a 10-year high that Milburn – a former minister in the Tony Blair government – has said represents a moral crisis and is economically unsustainable.In May, his first report warned that Britain risked a 25% rise in the number...