Category: JOBS

As UK employers grapple with cost constraints and market uncertainty, they are continuing to fill gaps more often with temporary workers than permanent hires. That’s according to the monthly UK Report on Jobs by KPMG UK and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation. The report showed the sharpest rise in temporary hiring since April 2023 and another decline, though slight, in permanent hiring. The report’s Temporary Billings Index for June was 52.7, up from 52.2 in May and on the rise for four consecutive months. The Permanent Placements Index — the report’s main hiring measure — crept closer to the neutral level of 50, registering a reading of 49.1, up from 44.1 in May and in line with index measures earlier this year. “Temporary and contract work once again leads the way, as firms react to demand without yet feeling confident enough to commit to larger-scale permanent hiring,” Neil Carberry, the REC’s chief executive, said in the report. Pay also rose for permanent and temporary...

© Adobe Stock Analysis of Adzuna job vacancy data shows ‘starter’ jobs – vacancies that would be accessible for someone entering the workforce for the first time – have fallen by 49% over the last decadeFigures suggest the number of starter jobs available for young people in 2025-26, averaging 71,000 vacancies a week, is the lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21Young people’s chances of finding work varies significantly depending on where they live – there are...

A cheese brand favourite with shoppers is set to come under new ownership following a major business sale.The UK's best-selling cheese brand, Cathedral City, is being acquired by French dairy group Lactalis as part of a £988 million deal with Saputo.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...

Summer job postings are tracking below prior years, spelling yet fewer avenues for British youth in a tough labour market. Key points: Summer job postings are off to their slowest start in years, running almost 30% below 2025 and well below the 2023 peak. The composition is shifting away from education and sports coaching toward hospitality and customer-facing services. The overall labour market remains fragile, with decade-high youth unemployment a particular concern. Our Labour Market Updates examine important trends using Indeed and other labour market data. Our European Labour Market Overview chartbook provides a more comprehensive view of the European labour market. Other data, including the Indeed Wage Tracker, is regularly updated and can be accessed on our data portal.The UK labour market has continued to soften, with the latest official figures showing vacancies dropping to a five-year low, payrolled employment falling and unemployment rising. Youth unemployment is a particular concern, reaching its highest level in more than a decade. Overall job postings on Indeed have...

AI has raised the stakes of taking your first step up the career ladder - and made it tougher and costlier than ever. Georgie Blackburn, a Gloucestershire-based career coach, is one of the few beneficiaries. In a two-decade career advising everyone from senior executives to military leavers, she says most of her clients today are young people fresh out of university, up from just one in 10 two years ago. “I have seen it as a growth area for my business,” said Blackburn, whose early-careers services can cost up to £750 ($1,010) and may direct people to volunteer work, internships or online courses to build experience. “A degree is not enough on its own, never has been, but even more so today.”The situation is particularly dire in Britain, where a youth-unemployment rate of 16.4% is the highest in a decade, and is rising faster than in any other G-7 country. The graduate premium over the minimum wage has been cut...

Part Two: English Profits or outsourcing to Foreign Jobs Read part 1: England for sale british government fails to protect our industries If England retained or returned an additional 100,000 full-time jobs from being outsourced overseas, those workers could earn almost £4 billion in wages every year, if based on current median earnings published by the Office for National Statistics. Those jobs would also generate more than £1 billion in direct Income Tax and National Insurance contributions, before the wider benefits to local businesses and communities are even considered. Yet despite decades of companies moving work and jobs overseas, the British government still has no comprehensive official record showing how many jobs have been transferred abroad or where they have gone. Across England, profitable companies continue to serve millions of customers while relocating customer service, administration, IT support and business processing to lower-cost countries. Businesses often justify these decisions on the grounds of efficiency and competitiveness, but the wider economic consequences for England...

A POPULAR Scots fashion chain founded nearly 200 years ago plunged into administration owing £46 million. Hundreds of suppliers now face losing tens of millions of pounds after the collapse of Paisley-founded retailer M&Co, which wiped out 1,800 jobs. Hundreds of suppliers now face losing tens of millions of pounds M&Co first collapsed during the Covid pandemic and again in December 2022 Credit: ALAMY More than 600 unsecured creditors of the historic brand – established back in 1834 as a pawnbroker before family owners Len and Ian McGeoch relaunched it as Mackays in 1953 – could lose more than £33 million. It comes as the case moved from administration to dissolution in June, with administrator reports laying bare the steps leading to the firm’s collapse. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Thank you! Adele Macleod, Gavin Park and Robert Harding were brought in as joint administrators when the troubled chain crashed into administration for a second time in December 2022. The firm first collapsed during the Covid pandemic, losing...

More people than ever are working from home, a change precipitated by the pandemic. Today, an estimated 41 per cent of workers in Great Britain tune into calls from home at least some of the time, a staggering 23.2 million people compared with 1.5 million people 10 years ago. This includes 13 per cent who work exclusively from home, and 28 per cent who follow a hybrid model. While some major companies have pushed for the five-day return to the office – to the dissatisfaction or even resignation of some workers – most workplaces have retained some degree of flexibility, with Fridays at home being one of the most common post-pandemic practices. Although most companies have accepted that some form of remote work is now a permanent fixture of the work landscape, it doesn’t stop managers harbouring mistrust over exactly what happens when their team takes their laptops home. Shorts Scroll to previous short Scroll to next short Do some foods leaveyou feeling hungry...

Nigerian companies including LemFi, Kuda, Moniepoint and Fidelity Bank expand UK operations. Major boost to North West economy as Zenith Bank opens new Manchester branch. Twinings Ovaltine opens £24 million Lagos manufacturing facility, ahead of historic Nigerian State Visit this week. Hundreds of new jobs are set to be created across the UK as Nigerian banks, fintech innovators and creative industry businesses scale up their operations in Britain. The move will see millions invested into the UK economy and reinforces the UK’s position as a leading global business hub, backed by world‑class talent, strong access to capital, and a stable regulatory environment - while showcasing Nigeria’s expanding role as a key source of innovation and investment into the UK. It comes as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, are set to commence an historic State Visit on Wednesday, strengthening the UK’s position as a global hub for...

-ENDS-Contact:KPMGSteven Reilly-HiiMedia Relations ManagerT: +44 (0)7510 376635steven.reilly-hii@kpmg.co.ukRECHamant 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 appropriate...