The number of people taking up permanent jobs fell again in May, as vacancies dropped and demand for staff declined.
The latest Report on Jobs survey, compiled by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, shows that the labour market continued its slowdown, with permanent staff appointments falling for the 20th month in a row.
A shortage of vacancies and slow decision-making from companies were said to be behind the decline. However, the fall in permanent job appointments was the smallest in more than a year. There was also a slight decline in the number of temporary job appointments, the survey of 400 recruitment firms found.
A growing number of people searching for permanent jobs pushed staff availability to its highest level since December 2020.