Job Vacancies Fall to Five-Year Low as Unemployment Sits Higher

The number of job vacancies in the United Kingdom has fallen to its lowest level in five years. The sectors hardest hit are hospitality and retail.

According to the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), cited by the BBC, the unemployment rate rose slightly to 5% in the three months to March, up from 4.9%.

ONS Chief Economic Statistician Liz McKeown said the latest figures show that the labour market remains weak, with vacancies at their lowest in five years and unemployment higher than last year.

What about conditions in Indonesia?

Data from the job-search platform JobStreet, released at the end of 2026, show a large gap between available vacancies and job seekers.

On average, a single job advert can receive around 500 to 600 applications. The competition is even tougher for general roles at large companies. In some cases, the number of applicants can reach into the thousands.

‘Imagine if one HR person is not only opening one position. Many companies can post up to dozens of vacancies in a year. That means they have to process thousands of CVs,’ said Ethika Santi, Acting Sales Director Indonesia.

Meanwhile, data from the Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) show an Open Unemployment Rate (TPT) of 7.24 million people or 4.68% in February 2026. The highest unemployment rate is in Papua Province, at 7.0%.