UK payrolls above pre-pandemic level and job vacancies soar

By PAN PYLAS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — U.K. government figures show that the number of people on payroll in Britain has soared back to levels last seen before the coronavirus pandemic struck a year and a half ago. The new statistics released Tuesday are the latest clear signal that the lifting of lockdown restrictions has prompted businesses to ramp up hiring. There is unease as to what will happen to the labor market over the coming months as the British government’s salary support program comes to an end. The program helped keep a lid on unemployment during the pandemic. Unions are  now urging the government to come up with new support particularly for sectors like aviation which are still struggling in the face of restrictions.