Drooid Logo
Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Job vacancies hit 707,000, lowest in five years

8/18/2026

50 11 Full Breakdown

1 of 1

Story summary
  • Job vacancies fell to 707,000, the lowest in over five years, ONS said.
  • Unemployment stayed at 4.9% in the three months to June.
  • Overall regular wage growth held at 3.5% in that period.
  • Private-sector wage growth slipped to 2.8%, the weakest since Oct 2020, while public-sector growth rose to 6.1% after NHS pay awards.
  • ONS director Liz McKeown said the market was “little changed overall” but noted the vacancy slide.