UK job vacancies: other service activities
UK job vacancies: other service activities stood at 13 thousands in Jul 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Labour market table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from May 2001 to Jul 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Labour market table
| Indicator | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | 10-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job vacancies by industry | |||||||||||
| S Other service activities | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | |
| B Mining and quarrying | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Understanding UK job vacancies: other service activities
Unfilled job openings situated within membership organisations, repair services, and personal service enterprises across the United Kingdom measure the volume of vacant posts immediately available for external applicants. This count captures positions where employers actively seek candidates outside their current workforce, isolating small-scale community services, civic associations, and individual-focused maintenance businesses from broader industrial sectors. Unlike broad macroeconomic tallies that pool every trade together, this metric highlights recruitment demand within specialised tertiary activities that cater directly to households and civic groups, explicitly excluding self-employed positions and businesses operating without formal registered payrolls.
Interpreting these figures requires caution regarding seasonal fluctuations driven by consumer habits, holiday schedules, and membership cycle renewals that regularly alter hiring intentions. Early monthly estimates undergo regular revisions as late survey responses arrive from smaller operating units, making period-on-period comparisons volatile and unreliable for spotting structural shifts. Analysts should focus on longer-term directional movements rather than single monthly changes. Comparing this count directly with manufacturing or construction vacancies can mislead, because service enterprises typically rely on high volumes of part-time, flexible roles that skew raw numbers relative to total headcounts.
Frequently asked questions
- What types of businesses are captured in other service activities?
- This category includes membership organisations, personal repair services, dry cleaners, hairdressers, and community associations operating across the United Kingdom.
- Are self-employed roles included in this vacancy count?
- No, the survey only counts vacant positions intended for employees on formal payrolls where recruitment agencies or direct hiring processes are active.
- Why do these figures change significantly between seasons?
- Consumer-facing service providers frequently scale up staffing ahead of specific holiday periods, generating regular intra-year swings that mask underlying economic trends.