UK employers cut job vacancies as Burnham aims to lift living standards

UK job vacancies fell to 712,000 in the three months to May, almost half the level in 2022. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Employers cut the number of job vacancies in June, according to official figures that highlight the UK’s “fragile” economic outlook amid the conflict in the Middle East.

Job vacancies fell to 712,000 – almost half the level in 2022 – as employers put off hiring new staff in the three months to May, the Office for National Statistics said.