UK jobs recovery continues on easing restrictions

The UK's jobs recovery has continued apace as lockdown restrictions were eased and the rapid rollout of Coronavirus vaccines shored up confidence in the wider economy, official figures showed Thursday.

However, economists cautioned against complacency amid concerns over the sharp pick-up in infections and the upcoming end of a salary support scheme. The Office for National Statistics said the country saw the number of workers on payroll jump by 356,000 in June. That's the biggest monthly increase since equivalent records began in 2014. The statistics agency said the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions during the spring, particularly the reopening of the hospitality sector drove the recovery. "This was especially marked for younger people, who had been hardest hit by earlier lockdowns," said Darren Morgan, the agency's director of economic statistics.

Firms are expected to be further on the hunt for workers ahead of the final lifting of restrictions in England on July 19, when all legal limits on social contact are to be ditched. The other nations of the UK have also been lifting restrictions but a little bit slower than in England. Despite seven months of increases, the number of payrolled workers has still fallen by 206,000 since the pandemic struck in March last year. Overall, the statistics agency said the jobless rate was unchanged at 4.8 per cent in May; the unemployment figures are conducted separately to the more timely payroll data.