UK Employment Up 24K in February

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.

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.

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.