UK employers take on workers at slower rate after fall in applicants

A survey by the REC and KPMG shows about 500,000 people have quit the labour force, many through ill health, since 2019. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

UK employers increased the number of new staff in May at the slowest pace since early 2021 after a steep fall in the number of workers responding to job adverts.

After an increase in job switching by workers last year, often to secure higher pay, employers said the shortage of candidates since January meant they were unable to fill thousands of vacancies.