Number of payrolled workers in UK fell by 78,000 ahead of budget tax rise

Wages rise 5.9% in three months to February, while unemployment unchanged at 4.4%

• Business live - latest updates
• Little sign that tax rise for employers will mean mass job losses, data shows

The number of workers on UK company payrolls has fallen at the fastest pace since the height of the Covid pandemic amid mounting global uncertainty and warnings that Rachel Reeves's budget measures could lead to job losses.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of people employed in at least one job paid through pay as you earn fell by 78,000 in March after a revised fall of 8,000 in February.