Beth Kitson, Research and Policy Analyst at Pro Bono Economics, said:

“These latest figures show a continued weakening of the labour market generally, with yet another fall in the number of vacancies and a further increase in unemployment.

“However, there is cause for some optimism in the charity sector, which benefited from stronger levels of recruitment than the private sector over the last quarter. New Bank of England data shows employment growth among charities exceeded 5% between July and September, while businesses grew their workforce by just under 3%.

“As demand for charity support has heightened as a result of the cost of living crisis, charities have had to increase their capacity to meet this need. This has led to a 2 percentage point increase in pay growth – from 4% to just over 6% - among charities since the second quarter of 2022, according to the Bank of England

“With levels of economic inactivity due to long-term sickness still a major concern, the resilience of the charity sector, which specialises in supporting those with long-term health problems to return to work, is vital. The Chancellor would be well-served in finding a place for the sector in any solutions proposed to tackle this challenge in next month’s Autumn Statement.”

---

Contact PBE's press office here.