Surge in UK job vacancies driven by low-paying work, says IFS

Report says employment opportunities more than 10% below pre-pandemic levels for quarter of workforce

Britain's worst labour market shortages in decades are being driven by employers struggling to recruit low-paid workers, research suggests, while vacancies in other areas are still significantly below pre-pandemic levels.

A report by Institute for Fiscal Studies said that new job opportunities remain more than 10% below pre-pandemic levels for a quarter of the workforce - about 8 million people - despite reports focusing on severe shortages of staff in several sectors of the economy such as road haulage, care and warehouse work.