Early ONS estimates put UK vacancies at their lowest level since February to April 2021 after a drop of 28,000 in the three months to February–April 2026, with figures suggesting summer hiring is also considerably weaker than last year.
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The Numbers at a Glance
The Office for National Statistics posted its early vacancy estimate on Tuesday, and the headline figure is stark: UK job vacancies fell by 28,000 (3.9%) to 705,000 in the three months to February–April 2026, compared with the previous three-month period. That puts vacancies at their lowest level since February to April 2021 — a long way from the record high of about 1.3 million in the three months to May 2022, when the post-pandemic hiring surge was at its peak.
The ONS has been tracking a consistent downward path. The figures show vacancies stood at 705,000 in the three months to April 2026, down 28,000 — or 3.9% — from the November-to-January period. The three months to March 2026 had come in at 712,000. Each release has nudged the number lower.
A Labour Market That Keeps Cooling
It’s not just vacancies telling this story. The UK unemployment rate has risen to around 5% in early 2026, up roughly half a percentage point on the year before. Youth unemployment has climbed to its highest level in more than a decade, data suggests, meaning younger workers are likely feeling the squeeze most acutely.
Analysis from Indeed Hiring Lab adds further weight to the picture. Overall UK job postings were running about 29% below their pre-pandemic baseline of 1 February 2020 as of late May 2026. Summer job postings — the seasonal roles that typically spike in hospitality, tourism and leisure — were down around 31% year-on-year at the same point. That’s a sharp drop.
How Reliable Are These Figures?
There’s an important caveat here. The ONS describes these vacancy estimates as experimental and provisional — they are subject to revision in later releases. The ONS has also flagged that labour-market statistics more broadly have faced methodological challenges and survey response issues since 2024, meaning some indicators carry wider uncertainty ranges than usual. Vacancy data remains one of the more reliable signals, but the 705,000 figure should be read as an early indication rather than a settled count.
The ONS bases its vacancy estimates on a rolling business survey, published as three-month averages. Sector-level or regional breakdowns for the February–April 2026 period were not available from the tweet alone and would require access to the full dataset.
What This Means for the South East
Kent sits within the South East region, which is covered by ONS regional labour-market data. A national softening in vacancies typically feeds through to county-level job markets, and there’s little reason to think Kent would be insulated from the trend. Sectors that matter to Kent’s economy — hospitality, tourism, retail, and logistics — are among those where national vacancy figures and posting data have weakened most.
For employers in Kent who are still recruiting, the flip side of fewer vacancies nationally is a larger pool of available candidates. Businesses in health and social care or logistics, which have historically struggled to fill roles, may find hiring somewhat easier than it was in 2022 or 2023.
But for jobseekers — above all younger people chasing seasonal or entry-level work — the data suggests this summer will be harder than last year.
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Source: @ONS
Key Takeaways
- UK job vacancies fell by 28,000 (3.9%) to 705,000 in the three months to February–April 2026, according to early ONS estimates, reaching their lowest level since February to April 2021
- The decline is part of a sustained fall from a record high of about 1.3 million in the three months to May 2022, coinciding with a rise in UK unemployment to around 5%
- Summer job postings across the UK were down roughly 31% year-on-year as of late May 2026, according to Indeed Hiring Lab analysis, with youth unemployment at a decade-plus high
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What This Means for Kent Residents
Jobseekers in Kent — especially those looking for seasonal work in hospitality, tourism and leisure — are likely to face a tighter market this summer, with national data pointing to markedly fewer advertised roles than in 2025. If you’re currently job-hunting, it’s worth registering with your local Jobcentre Plus office, which operates across Kent under the Department for Work and Pensions and can connect you with vacancies, training, and apprenticeship programmes. Kent County Council and local skills partnerships also run employment support schemes that may be worth exploring if you’re struggling to find work in the current climate. For businesses still hiring, the softer market does mean the candidate pool has grown — so if recruitment has been a persistent headache over the past few years, conditions may now be more favourable.