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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Richard Partington and Heather Stewart

UK businesses cutting staff at fastest rate since 2021 after budget

Commuters make their way into London Bridge station
Official figures last week showed Britain’s economy shrank by 0.1% in October. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA

UK businesses are cutting staff numbers at the fastest rate since the global financial crisis, according to a closely watched business survey blaming the government’s tax-raising budget.

The latest snapshot from the purchasing managers’ index (PMI) survey, which is monitored by the Treasury and the Bank of England, showed employment levels fell in December at the fastest rate since 2009, excluding the period during the coronavirus pandemic.

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