Jobless Banquet: Youth unemployment surge ‘sends Neets to KFC’ Retail A surge in youth unemployment has fuelled the rise of chicken shops across British high streets as young people not in work, education or training – known as Neets – have flocked to fast food, a consultancy has argued. Analysts at Baringa, a consultancy with more than 2,000 employees, have drawn a link between the [...]
Public sector makes wage growth higher than expected Economics Wage growth was higher than expected as pay offers in the public sector far outweighed growth in the private sector, new data has revealed. Official statistics have shown that wage growth, including bonuses, reached 4.1 per cent between April and June compared to a market forecast of four per cent. This was still lower than [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates but warns of rises to come Economics The Bank of England has opted to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent after the UK economy surprised economists with better results for inflation – though policymakers warned that “policy strategy could change” ahead of a difficult second half of the year for price stability. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held interest rates in [...]
I’m a 21-year-old grad, why does the government want me to go on the dole to get a job? July 30, 2026 Oliver Dean was turned away from Job Centre because he wasn’t already on benefit. No wonder the welfare bill is ballooning Andy Burnham’s answer to youth unemployment has arrived. It begins with 14-year-olds, and the new technical pathways reach classrooms in September 2028. There is a great deal to be said for it and, as [...]
If Andy Burnham really wants to help NEETs he should rule out tax rises July 29, 2026 Andy Burnham’s announcements on technical education are welcome, but they will be meaningless if young people have no jobs to move into. The Budget will be the real test of how he plans to grow the economy, says Georgiana Bristol Andy Burnham has descended from the North with an array of new pledges and spending [...]
Burnham premiership begins with decline in job postings July 21, 2026 Andy Burnham’s premiership has kicked off with disconcerting news for job seekers, setting up new government ministers for a difficult few months in supporting the UK labour market. The Office for National Statistics revealed that the number of vacancies fell by 7,000 between April and June, with the biggest falls coming in areas such as [...]
British American Tobacco rolls out plan for thousands of job cuts in AI streamlining June 29, 2026 British American Tobacco is to cut thousands of jobs in the latest sign of artificial intelligence transforming outsourcing initiatives at some of the City’s biggest names. The FTSE 100 firm expects to cut 5,500 jobs by the end of the year, it said in a statement on Monday. Alongside the cuts, 3,500 more jobs will [...]
Bank of England to ‘tolerate slow return’ to inflation target as interest rates held June 18, 2026 The Bank of England has said it will tolerate a delay in getting inflation back to its two per cent target as it held interest rates at 3.75 per cent in a split Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decision. Bank officials said they were closely monitoring the outcome of a peace deal being struck between the [...]
Job vacancies fall again in unemployment risk June 18, 2026 Job vacancies available across the UK dropped again, official data revealed, posing a further risk for Britons out of work. The Office for National Statistics said the number of job vacancies fell by 19,000 between March and May. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.9 per cent per cent compared to five per cent in data [...]
Shares jitter at City recruiter Hays after taking chop to operations June 17, 2026 Shares in Hays see-sawed on Wednesday morning as the recruiter revealed it had offloaded operations across six different countries. The FTSE 250 human resources firm said it had banked £4m on the sale of operations in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Luxembourg, Romania and Sweden. The group expects the transaction to lead to a non-cash [...]