United Kingdom Unemployment Rate

The UK unemployment rate increased to 5.1% in the three months to October 2025, in line with market expectations, up from 5.0% in the previous period. This was the highest level since the three months to March 2021, as total unemployment rose by 158,000 from the previous quarter to 1.832 million, driven mainly by increases among those unemployed for up to six months, 6–12 months, and over twelve months. Meanwhile, total employment fell by 16,000 to 34.226 million, marking the second consecutive quarterly decline, largely due to a drop in full-time positions. The number of people with second jobs rose slightly to 1.302 million, accounting for 3.8% of those employed. The employment rate edged down by 0.3 percentage points to 74.9%, while the activity rate remained unchanged at 79.0%.