The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports that firms issuing redundancy notices are doing so at their highest rate since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the ONS figures, businesses give notice of planned lay-offs at a pace of about 8,900 per week. This represents a 76% increase compared with the same period a year earlier. The reports describe the figures as a measure of planned employment reductions, based on notices submitted by employers. The ONS data indicates a notable acceleration year-on-year, suggesting employers are increasingly preparing for workforce changes. While the reports focus on the scale and timing of notices, they do not provide additional detail in the excerpts about which sectors are most affected, the reasons for the redundancies, or how many of these planned lay-offs ultimately occur. Overall, the coverage centers on the sharp rise in redundancy notice rates compared with the prior year and highlights that the current level is the highest recorded since the pandemic period.