To ask His Majesty's Government, further to forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) regarding vacancies in the labour market, what assessment they have made of the level of vacancies in relation to unemployment.
Answered on
15 December 2022
Unemployment is falling and the number of people on payroll is at record levels.
The DWP uses ONS data, which shows unemployment to vacancy ratio for Jul-Sep 2022 is 1, meaning that there is approximately one unemployed person for every vacancy in the UK. This ratio is unchanged on the quarter, and down 0.3 on the year- a result of falling unemployment and rising vacancies over the last year. This ratio is at a near record low level, and we will continue to monitor these figures going forward. The Department for Work and Pensions aims to help people move into work across the country, to help employers fill vacant posts to fulfil people’s potential and ensure employers can access the skills and talent they need for the future.