The number of unemployed persons in The United Kingdom increased to 1662.20 Thousand in December of 2025 from 1659.50 Thousand in November of 2025. Unemployed Persons in the United Kingdom averaged 1549.52 Thousand from 1971 until 2025, 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 1720.00 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 31.90 31.80 Hours Dec 2025
Claimant Count Change 28.60 2.70 Thousand Jan 2026
Employed Persons 34244.00 34303.00 Thousand Dec 2025
Employment Change 52.00 82.00 Thousand Dec 2025
Employment Rate 75.00 75.10 percent Dec 2025
Full Time Employment 25499.00 25537.00 Thousand Dec 2025
Job Vacancies 726.00 736.00 Thousand Dec 2025
Labor Force Participation Rate 79.20 79.20 percent Dec 2025
Labour Costs 112.70 110.70 points Sep 2025
HMRC Payrolls Change -10.56 -5.65 Thousand Jan 2026
Part Time Employment 8745.00 8766.00 Thousand Dec 2025
Population 69.28 68.49 Million Dec 2024
Labour Productivity 99.00 99.60 points Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 1662.20 1659.50 Thousand Dec 2025
Unemployment Rate 5.20 5.10 percent Dec 2025
Average Earnings incl. Bonus (3Mo/Yr) 4.20 4.60 percent Dec 2025
Average Weekly Wages 735.00 740.00 GBP/Week Dec 2025
Wages in Manufacturing 810.00 807.00 GBP/Week Dec 2025
Youth Unemployment Rate 14.00 13.70 percent Dec 2025


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
1662.20 1659.50 3090.00 422.60 1971 - 2025 Thousand Monthly
Volume, SA