The number of unemployed persons in The United Kingdom increased to 1670.70 Thousand in August of 2026 from 1663.70 Thousand in July of 2026. Unemployed Persons in the United Kingdom averaged 1550.85 Thousand from 1971 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 3090.00 Thousand in July of 1986 and a record low of 422.60 Thousand in December of 1973. source: Office for National Statistics

Unemployed Persons in the United Kingdom is expected to be 1710.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United Kingdom Unemployed Persons is projected to trend around 1725.00 Thousand in 2027 and 1760.00 Thousand in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average Weekly Hours 32.00 32.00 Hours Aug 2026
Claimant Count Change 30.30 7.00 Thousand Sep 2026
Employed Persons 34577.00 34478.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Employment Change 102.00 66.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Employment Rate 75.30 75.10 percent Aug 2026
Full Time Employment 25865.00 25772.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Job Vacancies 691.00 704.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 79.10 79.10 percent Aug 2026
Labour Costs 114.50 112.70 points Mar 2026
HMRC Payrolls Change 12.65 0.71 Thousand Sep 2026
Part Time Employment 8713.00 8705.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Population 69.49 69.28 Million Dec 2025
Labour Productivity 99.30 100.10 points Jun 2026
Unemployed Persons 1670.70 1663.70 Thousand Aug 2026
Unemployment Rate 4.70 4.90 percent Aug 2026
Average Earnings incl. Bonus (3Mo/Yr) 3.70 3.90 percent Aug 2026
Average Weekly Wages 757.00 757.00 GBP/Week Aug 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 824.00 818.00 GBP/Week Aug 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 13.20 14.40 percent Aug 2026


United Kingdom Unemployed Persons
The number of unemployed persons refers to the claimant count which is a full count of the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) each month.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
1670.70 1663.70 3090.00 422.60 1971 - 2026 Thousand Monthly
Volume, SA