Job openings in UK hit record high amid easing of lockdown restrictions

The number of open positions in the UK has risen to a record high with numbers showing "strong growth" in sectors subject to loosening of lockdown restrictions.

The unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points, to 4.7 percent, the ONS said.

The ONS figures show that between May and July there were 3.2 job openings in the UK for every 100 workers, which is another record high.

The UK had an average of 953.000 jobless claimants in the three months to July - 168.000 more than in the first quarter of 2020, before the restrictions came into place.

That was a jump of more than 40% from the previous year, and the highest level on record since records began in 2001.

Jonathan Athow, the ONS "assistant national statistician for economic statistics, said:" The labour sector remains robust from the effects of the pandemic.

The ONS found the number of UK workers on payrolls rose by 182.000 between June and July, although at 28.9 million it remains down by 201.000 from pre-Covid levels.

The ONS said average total remuneration excluding bonuses increased by 7.4 per cent in the three months to June, compared to the same period in 2020.