The latest UK Job Market Report by job matching platform Adzuna shows that despite a backdrop of a 4.7 per cent unemployment rate and wider economic slowdown, UK job vacancies saw their fastest annual growth in nearly three years in June, rising +2.68 per cent to 875,546 jobs, signalling progress on hiring confidence.
This figure not only marks the strongest annual growth since July 2022 – and the fourth consecutive month of year-on-year gains, but it also means month-on-month vacancies are up after two consecutive months of decline, at +1.99 per cent. Even though the total listings remain below pre-pandemic levels.
The increase comes as the UK unemployment rate has risen to a four-year high of 4.7 per cent between March and May 2025. Encouragingly, the economic inactivity rate is falling sharply, now down to 9.1 million, but still above pre-pandemic rates.
Average advertised salaries similarly continued their annual climb in June, reaching £42,397 – up +9.18 per cent year-on-year, despite a marginal drop from May (down £6, or -0.01 per cent). These annual figures extend one of the longest runs of real-terms pay growth since mid-2022, boosted in part by April’s +6.7 per cent increase to the National Minimum Wage.
Summer hiring is strong this year, with 20,839 summer jobs available in June, down -13 per cent year on year. By sector, hiring picked up in several sectors: Trade & Construction surged +16 per cent, Creative & design jobs +8.5 per cent, Retail +7 per cent, Legal jobs +6.2 per cent, IT roles rose +5.1 per cent, and Marketing jobs climbed +5 per cent. In contrast, Healthcare & Nursing roles, which have consistently been one of the biggest drivers of hiring growth, fell again in June, down -7.38 per cent monthly.
The average time to fill a role rose to 36.4 days, up from the previous month’s 35.8 days. While salary transparency stalled, just 43.5 per cent of job ads included pay details, unchanged from May and a signal that progress on employer openness may have reached a plateau.
“June marked a potential turning point for the UK job market. Monthly vacancies rose month-on-month finally, and we saw the strongest annual growth in three years – a sign that confidence may be slowly returning,” remarked Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna. “Salaries also continue to climb above inflation, and working-age inactivity is finally reversing its post-pandemic trend with numbers down to 9.1m and the rate down to 21 per cent. Both of which are a step in the right direction and show that the UK labour market is making progress.
“However,” he added, “demand is still patchy. While hiring is picking up in sectors like tech and construction, the drop in healthcare vacancies – one of the most resilient parts of the market – is something to watch. A sustained recovery will depend on strengthening employer confidence and making sure new roles emerge in areas where the workforce is most needed.”
