Workers travel through London Bridge rail and underground station during the morning rush hour in London, Britain, September 8, 2021.
A gauge of permanent staff hiring by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and accountants KPMG fell to 42.4, the lowest since the 34.3 in June 2020 when the country was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While starting pay for new permanent staff rose sharply by pre-pandemic standards, the rate of wage growth was the lowest since April 2021, REC said.
Official data showed unemployment rose to 4% in the three months to May, a 16-month high, although annual wage growth remained at a record high of 7.3% in cash terms.
REC said the availability of both temporary and permanent workers to fill jobs hit the highest since December 2020.
Persons:
Toby Melville, Neil Carberry, Claire Warnes, Suban Abdulla, David Milliken
Organizations:
REUTERS, KPMG, REC, Bank of England, BDO, Thomson
Locations:
London, Britain