The UK’s unemployment rate has risen again unexpectedly while vacancies have fallen to the lowest level for 18 months as economic uncertainty weighs on the UK’s jobs market, official figures show. The rate of unemployment rose to 3.9 percent in the three months to March, up from 3.8 percent in the previous quarter and the highest level since the three months to January 2022, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Most economists had expected the rate to remain unchanged at 3.8%.
The number of vacancies fell by 55,000 quarter on quarter to 1.08 million in the three months to April, marking the 10th fall in a row.
The ONS said this reflects “uncertainty across industries, as survey respondents continue to cite economic pressures as a factor in holding back on recruitment”.
But the figures also showed a rise in the employment rate to 75.9 percent and a fall in inactivity as more men in particular starting looking for work.
In another sign of a flagging jobs market, the more timely PAYE figures showed the first fall in workers on payrolls since February 2021, down 136,000 to 29.8 million.
