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UK vacancies fall to 702,000 as jobseekers outnumber roles

By CVTailorly Research Desk · Published 16 October 2026

This article was researched with AI assistance and fact-checked by our editor against the sources below.

Official figures show there are still more unemployed people than job vacancies in the UK. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates vacancies have fallen to their lowest level since early 2021, while the KPMG and REC survey of recruiters points to only a marginal, fragile pick-up in hiring in September. For jobseekers, that means stiffer competition for many roles.

Key figures

According to the ONS bulletin Vacancies and jobs in the UK: September 2026 (released 15 September 2026), early estimates put vacancies at 702,000 in June to August 2026. That was down 8,000 (1.1%) on the quarter and 36,000 (4.9%) on the year, and 86,000 (10.9%) below the pre-pandemic January to March 2020 level. It was the lowest level since February to April 2021. The vacancy rate was 2.1%, unchanged on the quarter.

The same release reported 2.5 unemployed people per vacancy in May to July 2026, up from 2.3 a year earlier. Vacancies at businesses with 1 to 9 employees fell to 91,000, down 28,000 (23.5%) on the year. The ONS said feedback from its Vacancy Survey "continues to suggest that smaller firms may not be recruiting because of increases in labour costs".

By sector, the ONS reported that education vacancies were down 9.7% on the quarter, the largest volume fall (5,000), and that education had the lowest vacancy rate of any industry, at 1.5%.

The KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs for October 2026 (September survey data, released 8 October 2026) found permanent placements rose for a second month in a row at a pace that, "though marginal, was the strongest in four years". Reuters reported the index at 50.9, up from 50.5 in August (above 50 indicates growth). Temporary billings also expanded, "though growth was the least pronounced in five months". Overall vacancies fell at the weakest rate in just over two years, the survey showed "the first improvement in demand for permanent private sector staff for over two years", and candidate availability continued to rise "amid reports of redundancies and fewer job opportunities". IT & Computing and Engineering led demand for permanent staff.

Jon Holt, Group Chief Executive and UK Senior Partner at KPMG, said: "But this remains a fragile recovery; and in some sectors it could be seen as an employer's market as the number of people looking for roles increases."

Job-board data from the Adzuna UK Job Market Report (31 July 2026; the latest edition available at the time of writing) counted 791,490 advertised vacancies in July, down 9.60% year on year, with 2.14 jobseekers per vacancy, up from 1.93 a year earlier. The average advertised salary was £43,675 (up 3.01% on the year), but 56.71% of ads did not include salary information. Customer Services roles took longest to fill, at 52.3 days.

Adzuna recorded sharp annual falls in advertised roles in Healthcare & Nursing (−33.3%), Hospitality & Catering (−32.2%) and Logistics & Warehouse (−31.8%), and growth in Trade & Construction (+8.3%) and Manufacturing (+2.2%). Teaching remained its largest sector, with 192,366 vacancies (+11.9% year on year). Note that this measures job ads, whereas the ONS survey shows education vacancies falling, so the two should not be read as a single trend.

Adzuna also reported graduate vacancies at a record low of 8,383, down 45.6% year on year. Citing the ONS, it said 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in April to June 2026, 13.0% of that age group. Regionally, competition was highest in the North East (3.45 jobseekers per vacancy), the West Midlands (3.25) and Wales (3.05), and lowest in the South West (1.37) and South East (1.42). Scotland had the steepest annual fall in vacancies, at 21.4%.

What it means for jobseekers

With more than two unemployed people for every vacancy on the ONS measure, sending large numbers of identical applications is unlikely to work well. Matching your CV and any supporting statement to each job advert, including the skills, evidence and wording it asks for, matters more when employers have more applicants to choose from. Our UK CV format guide and supporting statement guide cover the basics.

If you are applying in sectors where ads have fallen sharply, such as healthcare, hospitality and logistics, expect more applicants per post and be ready to show concrete results rather than lists of duties. Where demand looks firmer, such as trades, construction, manufacturing, and IT and engineering in the recruiter survey, each application is still competitive: the private-sector improvement in the KPMG and REC data is only just beginning.

Graduates face a particularly small pool of advertised roles. Practical steps include applying early in placement and internship cycles, setting out transferable skills for non-graduate roles, and writing each application for the specific job.

Where ads do not show pay, research typical ranges for the role and region before an interview. Keep your CV to experience you can evidence, and do not overstate achievements.

The ONS will update its vacancy and unemployment-per-vacancy figures on 20 October 2026.

From CVTailorly (our own tool, optional): our free job ad keyword extractor lists the skills and phrases a job advert asks for.

Sources

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