Job openings top 1 million in new record
Job vacancies in the UK have hit a record high since records begun
New figures showed that the number of vacancies in the three months to August topped one million, setting a new UK record.
The accommodation and food services industry saw a 75.4% increase in the number of job openings, as reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The same report also reveals employee numbers also bounced back to pre-pandemic levels in August, with the number of payrolls growing by 241,000 to 29.1 million.
Jonathan Athow, Deputy National Statistician at the ONS, 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."
All regions except London, Scotland and South East are now above pre-pandemic levels.
The ONS also noted a "strong increase" in the employment rate of 16 to 24-year-olds, as retail, hospitality and leisure roles returned.
Mr Athow also mentioned young people as one of the "hard hit" groups at the start of the pandemic, though the overall employment rate continues to recover. In total, the unemployment rate dropped from 4.7% to 4.6%.
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."