UK Employment Rises Above Forecasts

2026-10-20 06:16 By Joshua Ferrer 1 min. read

The number of employed people in the United Kingdom climbed by 102 thousand to 34.577 million in the three months in August 2026, sharply exceeding forecasts for a gain of 20 thousand and following a 66 thousand rise in the previous period.

The increase was driven by continued growth in full-time workers that partly offset a decline in part-time employment.

Compared with a year earlier, employment rose by 356 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.

The employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 rose to 75.3% from 75.1% in the previous quarter and up 0.1 percentage point a year earlier, while the rate for those aged 65 and over fell to 13.2% from 13.5%.

Meanwhile, the number of people holding second jobs rose over the quarter to 1.294 million, accounting for 3.7% of total employment, but remained below the level recorded a year ago.



News Stream
UK Employment Rises Above Forecasts
The number of employed people in the United Kingdom climbed by 102 thousand to 34.577 million in the three months in August 2026, sharply exceeding forecasts for a gain of 20 thousand and following a 66 thousand rise in the previous period. The increase was driven by continued growth in full-time workers that partly offset a decline in part-time employment. Compared with a year earlier, employment rose by 356 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. The employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 rose to 75.3% from 75.1% in the previous quarter and up 0.1 percentage point a year earlier, while the rate for those aged 65 and over fell to 13.2% from 13.5%. Meanwhile, the number of people holding second jobs rose over the quarter to 1.294 million, accounting for 3.7% of total employment, but remained below the level recorded a year ago.
2026-10-20
UK Employment Posts Smallest Gain in 5 Months
The number of employed people in the United Kingdom rose by 67 thousand to 34.478 million in the three months in July 2026, following a gain of 83 thousand in the previous period. The increase was the smallest since February, as a decline in part-time employment partly offset continued growth in full-time jobs. Compared with a year earlier, employment rose by 243 thousand, driven by increases in both full-time employees and part-time self-employed workers. Despite the increase in employment, the employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 stood at 75.1% over the quarter but 0.1 percentage point lower compared to a year earlier, extending the broadly stable trend seen since mid-2024, while the rate for those aged 65 and over remained unchanged at 13.3%. Meanwhile, the number of people holding second jobs increased over the quarter to 1.283 million, representing 3.7% of total employment.
2026-09-15
UK Employment Records Smallest Gain in 4 Months
The number of employed people in the United Kingdom increased by 83 thousand to 34.469 million in the three months to June 2026, following a gain of 147 thousand in the previous period. The increase was the smallest since February, reflecting a decline in part-time employment that partly offset continued growth in full-time jobs. Compared with a year earlier, employment rose by 253 thousand, driven by increases in both full-time employees and part-time self-employed workers. The employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 stood at 75.1%, extending the broadly stable trend seen since mid-2024, while the rate for those aged 65 and over stood at 13.3%. By gender, the employment rate remained higher for men at 64.2%, compared with 57.4% for women. Meanwhile, the number of people holding second jobs increased over the quarter to 1.293 million, representing 3.7% of total employment.
2026-08-18