Job vacancies are on the rise but the economy still needs its government drip-feed

Insolvencies also fell but some of the data has an illusory quality given the amount of state support UK plc is currently in receipt of, writes James Moore

Vacancies are rising but the UK economy isn’t yet out of the woods (Getty)

Whether your glass is half full or half empty, you’ll usually be able to find something to make your case when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) drops a set of data concerning Britain’s labour market.

On the face of it, the latest release had a lot more for the glass-half-full crowd, which might explain why the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, who’s been keeping his head down in the midst of the scandal created by the collapse of lender Greensill, broke cover to applaud the figures.

It showed the number of job vacancies hitting their highest level since the start of the pandemic, with 657,000 recorded between February and April, up 48,400 over the previous quarter.