ONS figures also reveal slide in job vacancies amid rise in employer national insurance contributionsReeves’s tax rises on employers start to biteBusiness live – latest updatesThe unemployment rate in the UK has risen to its highest level in almost four years, according to official figures, as the jobs market continues to slow.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate was 4.5% in the first three months of this year, up 0.2% on the previous quarter and the highest reading since summer 2021. Continue reading...