Job vacancies in the UK have hit a record high as worker numbers soar to slightly above pre-pandemic levels.
The number of vacancies in the three months to August surged to above one million for the first time since records started.
The 249,000 jump comes as the hospitality industry struggles to find employees, The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said as it released the new statistics today.
Meanwhile, the number of people on payrolls rose by 241,000 between July and August.
Opening society back up following three lockdowns has spurred the biggest jump in employment since 2014 – with numbers 1,000 above levels before the crisis hit.
The rate of unemployment has fallen once again to 4.6% – with a ‘strong increase’ among people aged between 16 and 24.
Meanwhile, a continued increase in wage growth has been reported.
Total earnings – including bonuses – rose by 8.3% for the three months to July against the same period last year.
But ‘well over a million’ workers are still furloughed, researchers say.
The scheme – which protected staff over the last year and a half – will come to an end on September 30.
Jonathan Athow, ONS deputy national statistician for economic statistics, said: ‘Early estimates from payroll data suggest that in August the total number of employees is around the same level as before the pandemic, though our surveys show well over a million are still on furlough.
‘However, this recovery isn’t even: in hard-hit areas such as London, and sectors such as hospitality and arts and leisure, the numbers of workers remain well down on pre-pandemic levels.
‘The overall employment rate continues to recover, particularly among groups such as young workers who were hard hit at the outset of the pandemic, while unemployment has fallen. Vacancies reached a new record high.
‘Not surprisingly, this is driven above all by hospitality, the sector with the highest proportion of employers reporting their job openings are hard to fill.’
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: ‘Today’s statistics show that our plan for jobs is working – the unemployment rate has fallen for seven months in a row, the number of employees on payrolls is back above pre-pandemic levels and there were fewer potential redundancies notified in August than at any point since the start of last year.
‘As we continue to recover from the pandemic, our focus remains on creating opportunities and supporting people’s jobs.’
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