Finance
UK jobs surveys send fresh cool-down signals
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
The UK labour market is slowing, with below-inflation pay growth and fewer job vacancies, particularly in graduate roles.
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's labour market is showing further slowdown signs, according to surveys published on Wednesday which pointed to below-inflation pay growth and a fall in job vacancies, especially for graduate-level jobs.
Most pay settlements offered by private sector employers held at 3% in the three months to the end of May - lower than the most recent inflation reading of 3.4% - and almost 15% of firms gave smaller raises of 2.5%, data firm Brightmine said.
"Private sector employers are holding steady at 3%, taking a more cautious approach as, they wait for firmer economic signals," Sheila Attwood, data lead at Brightmine, said.
Separate figures from recruitment platform Indeed showed a latest fall in job vacancies which were down 5% in mid-June from their level at the end of March.
Vacancies were 21% below their pre-pandemic level, leaving the UK as the only advanced economy tracked by Indeed with job openings lower than before the coronavirus pandemic.
The share of graduate-level posts advertised was its lowest since at least 2018 with the biggest drops in human resources, accountancy and marketing, typically areas most vulnerable to a slowdown in the economy.
Indeed said the fall could also be linked to the impact of artificial intelligence on some job roles.
However, the weakening of the overall jobs market did not represent a slump, despite warnings from employers about the impact of April's increase in social security contributions ordered by finance minister Rachel Reeves.
Retail postings were down 2% since April, while in food service they were 10% lower. Hospitality and tourism job postings were down 11%, Indeed said.
The Bank of England is watching the jobs market for its inflationary pressures as it considers when to cut interest rates again. Governor Andrew Bailey on Tuesday pointed to a slowdown in pay growth.
(Writing by William Schomberg, editing by Andy Bruce)
The UK labour market is showing signs of a slowdown, with below-inflation pay growth and a decrease in job vacancies.
Job vacancies fell by 5% in mid-June compared to their level at the end of March, and they are 21% below pre-pandemic levels.
Most pay settlements offered by private sector employers have remained steady at 3%, which is lower than the recent inflation rate of 3.4%.
Indeed noted that the fall in job vacancies could be linked to the impact of artificial intelligence on certain job roles.
The Bank of England is closely monitoring the jobs market for inflationary pressures as it considers the timing for potential interest rate cuts.
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