Vacancy growth slowed for the third consecutive month as businesses delayed hiring decisions, as a result of ongoing uncertainty around the economic outlook, showed the latest KPMG and REC jobs report.

Permanent staff appointments declined again in May, and at the quickest rate recorded since January 2021 – linked to the higher cost of living and trouble recruiting suitably skilled staff.

Meanwhile, recruitment agencies signalled an increase in temporary billings, as businesses heightened their focus on the flexibility of short-term staff.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicated that total vacancies across the UK continued to edge lower in the three months to April 2023.