LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2021) The UK labour market continues to recover as the easing of COVID-19 restrictions allowed more businesses to re-open and more people to go back to work, but unemployment is still 1% higher than before the pandemic, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported on Thursday.
"The number of payroll employees showed another monthly increase, up 356,000 in June 2021 to 28.9 million. However, it remains 206,000 below pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels," the ONS said.
The official report noted, however, that in the three months to June there were 862,000 jobs on offer in the UK, 77,500 higher than before the pandemic.
Commenting on the latest figures, ONS Director of Economic Statistics, Darren Morgan, said that the biggest sector driving the rise in job vacancies was hospitality, followed by wholesaling and retailing.
According to the ONS, there are 32 million people employed in the UK, an increase of 25,000 on the quarter, while the unemployment rate currently stands at 4.8 %, still 1 % higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, 2020.
