The number of employed people in the United Kingdom rose by 148 thousand to 34.392 million in the three months to March 2026, following a downwardly revised 24 thousand increase in the previous period. The reading also topped expectations of a 107 thousand gain and marked the largest job increase since July last year, driven by growth in both full-time and part-time work among employees and the self-employed, with full-time roles contributing most to the overall rise. Compared with a year earlier, employment increased by 416 thousand. Despite this, the employment rate for those aged 16 to 64 edged up by just 0.1 percentage points to 75.0%, remaining broadly stable over the year. Meanwhile, the number of people holding second jobs declined to 1.273 million, accounting for 3.7% of those in employment. source: Office for National Statistics

Employment in the United Kingdom increased by 148 in March of 2026. Employment Change in the United Kingdom averaged 44.50 Thousand from 1971 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 372.00 Thousand in August of 2024 and a record low of -472.00 Thousand in May of 2020. This page provides - United Kingdom Employment Change- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. United Kingdom Employment Change - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on June of 2026.

Employment in the United Kingdom increased by 148 in March of 2026. Employment Change in the United Kingdom is expected to be 15.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United Kingdom Employment Change is projected to trend around 40.00 Thousand in 2027 and 45.00 Thousand in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-04-21 06:00 AM
Employment Change
Feb 25K 84K -35.0K
2026-05-19 06:00 AM
Employment Change
Mar 148K 24K 107K 95.0K
2026-06-18 06:00 AM
Employment Change
Apr 148K 75K 80.0K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average Weekly Hours 31.70 31.70 Hours Mar 2026
Claimant Count Change 26.50 4.90 Thousand Apr 2026
Employed Persons 34392.00 34328.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Employment Change 148.00 24.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Employment Rate 75.00 75.00 percent Mar 2026
Full Time Employment 25642.00 25584.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Job Vacancies 705.00 712.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 79.10 79.00 percent Mar 2026
Labour Costs 112.50 111.50 points Dec 2025
HMRC Payrolls Change -99.96 -28.22 Thousand Apr 2026
Part Time Employment 8750.00 8743.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Population 69.49 69.28 Million Dec 2025
Labour Productivity 99.99 99.10 points Mar 2026
Unemployed Persons 1672.40 1667.40 Thousand Mar 2026
Unemployment Rate 5.00 4.90 percent Mar 2026
Average Earnings incl. Bonus (3Mo/Yr) 4.10 3.90 percent Mar 2026
Average Weekly Wages 749.00 746.00 GBP/Week Mar 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 819.00 816.00 GBP/Week Mar 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 14.70 14.30 percent Mar 2026


United Kingdom Employment Change
In the United Kingdom, employment change refers to the 3-month moving average compared to the previous period in the number of people in employment aged 16 and over.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
148.00 24.00 372.00 -472.00 1971 - 2026 Thousand Monthly
SA

News Stream
UK Employment Rises Most in 8 Months
The number of employed people in the United Kingdom rose by 148 thousand to 34.392 million in the three months to March 2026, following a downwardly revised 24 thousand increase in the previous period. The reading also topped expectations of a 107 thousand gain and marked the largest job increase since July last year, driven by growth in both full-time and part-time work among employees and the self-employed, with full-time roles contributing most to the overall rise. Compared with a year earlier, employment increased by 416 thousand. Despite this, the employment rate for those aged 16 to 64 edged up by just 0.1 percentage points to 75.0%, remaining broadly stable over the year. Meanwhile, the number of people holding second jobs declined to 1.273 million, accounting for 3.7% of those in employment.
2026-05-19
UK Employment Up 24K in February
The number of employed people in the United Kingdom rose by 24 thousand to 34.3 million in the three months to February 2026, following an 84 thousand increase in the previous period. The increase in employment was driven by a rise in full-time workers, particularly among the self-employed, while the number of full-time employees remained largely unchanged and part-time employment declined. Compared with a year earlier, employment increased by 332 thousand. Despite the rise in employment, the employment rate for those aged 16 to 64 edged down by 0.1 percentage points to 75.0%. Meanwhile, the number of people holding second jobs declined to 1.273 million, accounting for 3.7% of those in employment.
2026-04-21
UK Employment Unexpectedly Rises
The number of employed people in the United Kingdom rose by 84 thousand to 34.310 million in the three months to January 2026, exceeding expectations of a 4 thousand decline and following a 52 thousand increase in the previous period. This marks the largest job growth since late August, driven by gains in both full-time and part-time employment. Compared with a year earlier, employment increased by 388 thousand, largely due to a rise in the number of employees. The employment rate for those aged 16 to 64 rose by 0.2 percentage points to 75.1%. The number of people holding second jobs remained largely unchanged at 1.302 million, representing 3.8% of the employed population.
2026-03-19