REC - Response to ONS labour market statistics, January 2022

This morning (18 January 2022) the ONS published its latest labour market statistics. Commenting on the figures, REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry said:

"The strength of the UK jobs market remains remarkable by any historic comparison, as vacancies rise and unemployment drops. It’s clear that temporary and part-time work is playing a key role as people find new roles in different sectors as the economy changes rapidly. More short-term and part-time roles may also reflect greater flexibility from firms as they struggle to hire in this market.

"The big issue now is capacity constraint -  there are hundreds of thousands fewer workers in the labour market than before the pandemic. Over time, that will affect the economy’s ability to drive prosperity. Firms need to be looking at new approaches to developing their workforce, while government needs to work with businesses on the skills and job matching support necessary to address rising economic inactivity. Staff shortages will outlive the pandemic as an economic issue - recruiters are well placed to support businesses in this market with the latest insight and advice."