UK employers cut jobs in run-up to Reeves’ tax hike

Britain’s labour market weakened before this month’s tax hike on employers, data showed on Tuesday, but wage growth remained strong, complicating the job for the Bank of England which is also expecting an economic hit from US trade tariffs.

Vacancies fell below their pre-COVID pandemic level for the first time in almost four years in the first three months of 2025, the Office for National Statistics said.

Provisional data given