United Kingdom Unemployment Rate

The UK unemployment rate increased to 5.0% in the third quarter of 2025, the highest level since the three months to May 2021 and slightly above market expectations of 4.9%. The number of unemployed individuals rose by 117,000 from the previous quarter to 1.789 million, driven mainly by increases among those out of work for up to six months or over twelve months. Meanwhile, total employment fell by 22,000 to 34.192 million, marking the first decline since the first quarter of 2024, largely due to a reduction in full-time positions. The number of people with second jobs rose slightly in the latest quarter to 1.33 million, accounting for 3.9% of those in work. The employment rate edged down by 0.1 percentage point to 75.0%, while the activity rate remained unchanged at 79.0%.