The number of temporary employees in the UK fell by 3.3% to a total of 1.6 million in the three-month period from June through August 2017 when compared to the same period a year ago, according to seasonally adjusted figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

Temporary workers are self-identified when surveyed by the ONS, and they include those who are on fixed-period contracts, agency temp workers, casual workers, seasonal workers and others in temporary work.

Turning to total employment, there were 94,000 more people in work from June through August 2017 than from March to May 2017. Total number of people in work was 32.1 million. On a year-over-year basis, the number of people in work increased by 317,000.

The UK employment rate rose to 75.1% from June through August 2017 from 74.5% in the same three-month period last year. The unemployment rate was 4.3%, down from 5.0% a year earlier and the lowest since 1975.

There were 783,000 job vacancies for July to September 2017, an increase of 32,000 compared to the same period in the previous year.

The ratio of jobseekers to available jobs was 1.9, equal lowest since records began in 2001, according to analysis by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation.

“The creation of more jobs despite business uncertainty is a testament to the determination and positive attitude of British employers to build and grow in the face of economic challenges,” said REC Chief Executive Kevin Green. “From a jobseeker’s point of view though, the continued squeeze on wages means there is little room for full-throttle celebration.”

Green continued, “Recruiters tell us that due to the diminishing pool of available candidates, employers are willing to offer higher salaries or hourly pay rates when advertising for new hires, meaning the best way to secure an above inflation pay rise might well be to move jobs.”