UK vacancies fall to lowest for five years as wages grow faster than expected

Fears have grown that employers will lay off staff to cope with rising costs from the war in Iran. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty

The number of UK job vacancies fell to its lowest level for five years as businesses cut back on recruitment, official figures show, despite signs the labour market has been more resilient to the Iran war than feared.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics showed unemployment eased to 4.9% in the three months to April, from 5% in the three months to March.