UK job vacancies plummet and employment slows in face of coronavirus
Vacancies have dropped by over 50000 in the three months to March
UK job vacancies dived in the three months to March as the labour market contracted in the face of the coronavirus, official statisticians have revealed.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of job vacancies plunged by 52,000 to 795,000 for the quarter.
It said the manufacturing and retail sectors reported the largest decline in hiring over the period.
The ONS also revealed that growth in the number of people on British companies' payrolls slowed to 0.8% in March from 1.1% in February, according to preliminary tax data.
Economists also revealed on Tuesday that unemployment increased by 22,000 to 1.36 million in the three months to February, before Covid-19 gripped the UK.
Published: by Radio NewsHub