The UK jobs market showed fresh signs of strain in the latest labour market figures, published by the Office for National Statistics on 18 August 2026.

Job vacancies fell to an estimated 707,000 in the three months to July, down 6,000 (0.8%) on the previous quarter. Outside the pandemic period, that’s the lowest vacancy count since September to November 2014. The ONS said feedback from its Vacancy Survey pointed to smaller firms holding back on recruitment because of rising labour and operating costs.

Despite the weaker hiring picture, the headline unemployment rate held at 4.9% for people aged 16 and over in the April to June quarter, up 0.2 percentage points on the year, but down 0.1 points on the previous quarter. The employment rate for 16- to 64-year-olds stood at 75.1%, while economic inactivity was largely unchanged at 20.9%.

On pay, annual growth in regular earnings (excluding bonuses) in Great Britain was 3.5% in April to June, with total earnings (including bonuses) up 4.1%. The gap between sectors was stark: public sector regular pay grew 6.1%, reflecting the timing of NHS pay awards, while private sector growth slowed to 2.8%. Adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH), regular pay rose just 0.5% in real terms.

Separately, payrolled employee numbers continued their two-year downward trend, falling 78,000 (0.3%) year-on-year to 30.3 million by June, with an early estimate suggesting a similar picture into July.

Taken together, the data points to a labour market that remains subdued rather than in freefall; steady unemployment but weakening demand for new hires and softer private sector wage growth.

See Labour market overview, UK – Office for National Statistics

Petrol and diesel price comparison may help to reduce costs

Drivers can now compare fuel prices from every petrol station in the UK, thanks to a new government scheme designed to make fuel costs more transparent and to encourage greater competition between forecourts.

Beginning last week, every garage and fuel station must report its petrol and diesel prices to a central government database within 30 minutes of changing them. This data is then made available to apps and websites that motorists can use.

This means that apps such as PetrolPrices, Waze, MyRAC, and the AA app, as well as some in-car navigation systems and online map services can now pull in up‑to‑date pricing.

Motoring groups say that there can be differences of up to 20p per litre depending on where in the country petrol or diesel is bought. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has also observed that fuel retail prices tend to “rise like a rocket but fall like a feather.”

If your business involves regular car travel, this could be a simple way to help keep your fuel costs down.