Burnham Takes Office as UK Job Vacancies Halve from 2022 Peak

New PM Andy Burnham named his cabinet as ONS data showed UK vacancies at 712,000 — nearly half their 2022 high. Private-sector pay growth eased to 2.9%. Unemployment held at 4.9%. Payrolled employment fell 90,000 year-on-year through May. These figures predate Burnham but shape the economy his government inherits.