UK Employment Rises Most in 10 Months

2026-07-21 06:32 By Kyrie Dichosa 1 min. read

The number of employed people in the United Kingdom rose by 148 thousand to 34.475 million in the three months to May 2026, exceeding expectations for a gain of 85 thousand and following a 99 thousand increase in the previous period.

This marked the largest increase since July 2025, driven by increases in both full-time and part-time employment.

Compared with a year earlier, employment increased by 340 thousand, reflecting gains in both full-time employees and part-time self-employed workers.

Despite the increase in employment, the employment rate for those aged 16 to 64 edged up to 75.1% from 75.0% in the previous quarter but remained 0.1 percentage point below a year earlier, extending the broadly stable trend seen since mid-2024.

Meanwhile, the number of people holding second jobs rose over the quarter to 1.278 million, accounting for 3.7% of total employment, though it remained below the level recorded a year earlier.



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UK Employment Rises Most in 10 Months
The number of employed people in the United Kingdom rose by 148 thousand to 34.475 million in the three months to May 2026, exceeding expectations for a gain of 85 thousand and following a 99 thousand increase in the previous period. This marked the largest increase since July 2025, driven by increases in both full-time and part-time employment. Compared with a year earlier, employment increased by 340 thousand, reflecting gains in both full-time employees and part-time self-employed workers. Despite the increase in employment, the employment rate for those aged 16 to 64 edged up to 75.1% from 75.0% in the previous quarter but remained 0.1 percentage point below a year earlier, extending the broadly stable trend seen since mid-2024. Meanwhile, the number of people holding second jobs rose over the quarter to 1.278 million, accounting for 3.7% of total employment, though it remained below the level recorded a year earlier.
2026-07-21
UK Employment Rises Above Expectations
The number of employed people in the United Kingdom rose by 100 thousand to 34.410 million in the three months to April 2026, following a 148 thousand increase in the previous period and above forecasts of a 75 thousand gain. This was mainly driven by growth in full-time employment, while part-time work declined over the quarter. Compared with a year earlier, employment increased by 399 thousand, reflecting gains in both full-time and part-time workers, with the rise in full-time employment driven by employees and the increase in part-time work supported by self-employed workers. Despite this, the employment rate for those aged 16 to 64 remained unchanged at 75.0%, both over the quarter and compared with a year earlier, following a period of relative stability since mid-2024. Meanwhile, the number of people holding second jobs declined to 1.277 million, accounting for 3.7% of total employment.
2026-06-18
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