Responding to today’s ONS labour market figures, Jon Boys, Senior Labour Market Economist for the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, comments: 

“Despite falling vacancies, the job market remains competitive. Unemployment and inactivity held steady this quarter, meaning there are still few candidates looking for and available to work. High pay growth and falling inflation mean real pay is slowly rising, a boon to workers but a challenge for some employers. Employers who are struggling to keep up should look at the whole employment offer to remain competitive, including non-pay-related benefits that people value, such as flexibility and autonomy.  

“Many sectors remain constrained by a lack of suitable candidates, and policymakers and employers must work together to alleviate this. This means designing jobs that work for everyone, particularly those currently outside the labour market which increasingly includes people with long-term health conditions and older people. Policymakers need to focus on actions to both support people with health conditions back into employment and to help ensure employers, particularly small businesses, can access occupational health services to help keep people from falling out of work in the first place.”