UK job vacancies hit record high of 1m as payrolls rebound to pre-Covid levels

Hotels, pubs and restaurants among those with biggest problems recruiting staff

Employers scrambling to hire staff amid widespread labour shortages after lockdown helped to return the number of workers on company payrolls to pre-pandemic levels in August, official figures show.

The Office for National Statistics said the number of payroll employees increased by 241,000 to 29.1 million in August, lifting employment in all regions of the UK to pre-Covid levels except in London, Scotland and south-east England.