London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

More Brits Working Than Before Pandemic — With a Million Vacancies Still Open

More Brits Working Than Before Pandemic — With a Million Vacancies Still Open

The ending of the treasury's 'furlough' scheme a fortnight ago for workers made redundant by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions raised fears of a sharp rise in unemployment. But figures for the summer period showed more people in work than ever before.

More people are working in the UK than before the COVID-19 lockdowns — with more than a million jobs still up for grabs.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data painted a rosy picture of the post-pandemic recovery, and was welcomed by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.

Seasonally-adjusted inflation was running at 4.5 percent in the quarter from June to August, with three-quarters of adults ages 16 to 64 working. That was just 0.7 percent higher than the 3.8 percent in the last three months of 2019 — the lowest rate since the 1970s — before the mutant coronavirus reached the UK.

Gross domestic product was up by 5.5 percent over the same period in 2020 and salaries were also rising, although inflation had risen by almost a percentage point in a month to three percent.

And the number of jobs on offer increased by 318,000, to 1.1 million, with 50,000 of those in the hospitality sector that was hardest hit by the lockdowns. The number of employees on payrolls rose some 207,000 from August to September to a record level of about 29.2 million.

"The jobs market has continued to recover from the effects of the coronavirus, with the number of employees on payroll in September now well exceeding pre-pandemic levels," ONS director of economic statistics Darren Morgan said.


"The latest earnings continue to show growth on the year, even after taking inflation into account," the statistician added. "However, the figures are still being affected by special factors that make it hard to read underlying trends".


Sunak said it was "encouraging" to see unemployment falling after the end of the pandemic furlough scheme on September 30, claiming vindication for the government's Plan For Jobs.

"The number of expected redundancies remained very low in September, there are more employees on payrolls than ever before and the unemployment rate has fallen for eight months in a row," the chancellor claimed.


"We remain committed to helping people find great work, with an extra £500m to support hundreds of thousands back into employment and help the lowest paid to progress in their careers," he added.

The opposition's Labour shadow work and pensions secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, however, poured cold water on the optimistic figures, noting that half a million people had been "away from the workplace" for at least a year.


Reynold's turned Sunak's own rationale for departing from the "triple lock" link between state pensions, wages and inflation last month against him.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×