The number of unemployed persons in The United Kingdom increased to 1680.60 Thousand in April of 2026 from 1672.40 Thousand in March of 2026. Unemployed Persons in the United Kingdom averaged 1550.11 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 1810.00 Thousand in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average Weekly Hours 31.80 31.70 Hours Apr 2026
Claimant Count Change 31.20 8.30 Thousand May 2026
Employed Persons 34410.00 34392.00 Thousand Apr 2026
Employment Change 100.00 148.00 Thousand Apr 2026
Employment Rate 75.00 75.00 percent Apr 2026
Full Time Employment 25654.00 25642.00 Thousand Apr 2026
Job Vacancies 707.00 709.00 Thousand Apr 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 79.00 79.10 percent Apr 2026
Labour Costs 112.50 111.50 points Dec 2025
HMRC Payrolls Change 1.73 -52.65 Thousand May 2026
Part Time Employment 8755.00 8750.00 Thousand Apr 2026
Population 69.49 69.28 Million Dec 2025
Labour Productivity 99.99 99.10 points Mar 2026
Unemployed Persons 1680.60 1672.40 Thousand Apr 2026
Unemployment Rate 4.90 5.00 percent Apr 2026
Average Earnings incl. Bonus (3Mo/Yr) 4.40 4.40 percent Apr 2026
Average Weekly Wages 753.00 754.00 GBP/Week Apr 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 826.00 822.00 GBP/Week Apr 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 14.50 14.70 percent Apr 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
1680.60 1672.40 3090.00 422.60 1971 - 2026 Thousand Monthly
Volume, SA