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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Joanna Partridge

Firms hold back on hiring amid ‘significant cost rises’, surveys say

Commuters walk over London Bridge on their way to work in London, Britain
The monthly jobs report from KPMG and the REC highlighted firms’ weaker demand for workers, as overall vacancies dropped further in February. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Companies are putting the brakes on hiring new staff amid a “subdued” economic outlook and rising wage bills, according to the latest business surveys.

In signs of a weakening UK labour market, the consultancy KPMG and the trade body the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said a marked decline in the number of people being placed in permanent and temporary roles continued in February, although hiring declined at a slower pace than in January.

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