UK job vacancies hit record amid Brexit and Covid staff shortages

Rise matched by steep fall in unemployment and rise in staff on payrolls to 29.2 million

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Job vacancies soared to a record high of almost 1.2m in September, according to official figures, as employers hunted for staff to meet shortages brought on by Brexit and the pandemic.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures also showed a 207,000 increase in the number of people on payrolls to a record 29.2 million - 120,000 above pre-pandemic levels - and a steep fall in unemployment before the furlough scheme came to an end at the end of September.