Today’s unemployment figures published by the Office of National Statistics have shown a rise of 43,000 over the three months to February with the current number now standing at 2.5 million.
Commenting on this increase, Kevin Green, the REC’s Chief Executive said: “Despite positive figures in the last three months, it is clear that the jobs market is fragile. However, it is important to note that these figures are a lagging indicator of our dynamic labour market. The latest feedback from employers and recruiters confirms an increase in confidence and more hiring activity. The latest JobsOutlook survey shows that 96 per cent of employers expect to maintain or grow their workforces over the next three months.
“Based on the data available, we predict that unemployment has peaked and that we will see a small reduction in the number of unemployed over the next quarter. The outlook for jobs market will then become dependent on how the incoming Government implements public sector constraints. We are stressing that whoever wins the election needs to focus on reform of public services rather than on simply slashing jobs.”