Latest unemployment figures confirm pressure on UK jobs market

The RECís Chief Executive Kevin Green has responded to the latest ONS labour market statistics which shows a 140,000 increase in the number of people unemployed in the three month period up to September.

The number of people out of work has now risen to 1.89 million, the highest in 11 years.

Kevin Green said: ìToday's employment figures corroborate the data from the REC/KPMG monthly Report on Jobs and confirm that the labour market is under real pressure. The feedback from professional recruiters shows that employers in a number of sectors are freezing hiring activities - although there is still strong recruitment activity in some sectors such as healthcare.

ìWith the number of jobless now passing 1.8 million, it is critical that we avoid further barriers to employment. The Government must reconsider removing VAT concessions on temp work from April 2009 and must ensure that forthcoming EU regulations on temporary work are workable in the UK.

Kevin Green concluded: ìToday's figures also re-emphasise the fact that we have moved from a very 'candidate driven' labour market - where there were more jobs than job-seekers and where individuals could be choosy - to a very competitive jobs market for a high number of job-seekers.

ìRecruitment agencies will have a key role to play over the coming months by providing guidance on how jobseekers can access appropriate temporary and permanent job opportunities in this challenging environment.î