The Office for National Statistics reported that payroll jobs dropped for the seventh month in a row. Wage growth is also slowing down, showing that the once-booming job market is no longer reliable for those seeking a stable income.
Although there are small hints that some employers may hire again, the overall market is weak and unpredictable. For Pakistanis planning to move to the UK for better jobs, this is a red flag. The situation means they could struggle to find employment, while bearing heavy expenses of living abroad.
The Bank of England is expected to keep interest rates unchanged this week after lowering them in August, but policymakers still remain worried about inflationary pressures. The unstable job market adds to the uncertainty of the UK’s economic outlook.
According to Tuesday’s figures, around 8,000 payrolled employees were lost in August. Even July’s fall in jobs, initially reported as 8,000, was later corrected to 6,000. These repeated job cuts show how fragile the employment situation has become.
The UK’s job market is clearly weakening. For Pakistanis, moving there now means risking high expenses with very low chances of finding stable work. The dream may turn into disappointment. It is safer to explore better opportunities at home or in other countries where jobs are growing, not shrinking.
TAX INCREASE, CONCERNS OF FURTHER RISES WEIGH ON STAFFING
Employers have blamed a tax increase ordered by finance minister Rachel Reeves for their cautious stance on staffing and many are worried about a possible further hit in her next budget due in November, as Reuters reported.
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"Some businesses may be choosing to delay recruitment decisions until there is more clarity on potential tax changes," said Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK.
Basic wage growth in the private sector - watched closely by the BoE - slowed to 4.7% between May and July from 4.8% in the three months to June.
Overall average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, grew by 4.8%, weaker than the previous reading of 5.0% but still above the roughly 3% level seen as consistent with the BoE s 2% inflation target.
"Today’s data release won’t do much to alleviate the Bank of England’s concerns over the upside risks to inflation," said Ashley Webb, UK economist at Capital Economics.
Investors do not expect another BoE rate cut for at least six months.
There were some signs in the ONS data of an improvement in employers appetite for hiring.
The number of job vacancies in the three months to August rose to 728,000 after touching its lowest in the previous month s release since early 2021.
It was the first increase in the number of vacancies from one month s job report to the next since the three months to February last year, the ONS said.
Sanjay Raja, Deutsche Bank’s chief UK economist, said a wave of staffing cuts by employers was now probably complete although budget uncertainty was likely to weigh on hiring, and pay settlements would edge lower over the rest of the year.
"This should give some comfort that the path ahead may be less bumpy than perhaps some of the survey data suggests," Raja said.
Britain s unemployment rate in the three months to July held at 4.7%, its highest since the second quarter of 2021, although that figure is based on a survey of households that the ONS has said is not currently reliable.
Surveys published last week showed that employers had offered the lowest pay settlements in more than three-and-a-half years in July and hiring had continued to slow - albeit by less than in previous months.
