Burnham facing calls to cut employment red tape as job seekers grow for 41 monthsThere are more job seekers searching for new gigs. The government is facing calls to strip red tape around employment after the pool of people looking for jobs in the UK grew for a 41st consecutive month. Official data states the unemployment rate is 4.9 per cent, although economists have forecast a rise to around 5.3 per cent this year. She called on the government to build “momentum in hiring” and prioritise the jobs market as miniters begin to layout policy in the coming months. The KPMG report on jobs suggested that firms were raising pay packages for new hires as an increase in starting salaries was the quickest for six months.