UK Jobless Rate Rises to 5%

2026-05-19 06:11 By Kyrie Dichosa 1 min. read

The UK unemployment rate rose to 5.0% in the three months to March 2026, above expectations and February’s 4.9%.

The reading marked the first set of figures for the opening month of the US–Iran war, which added pressure to business costs and hiring conditions.

Despite the higher rate, the number of unemployed people fell by 77,000 to 1.806 million, mainly driven by declines among those unemployed for up to six months and those out of work for between six and 12 months.

Compared with the same period last year, however, unemployment increased by 192,000, with all unemployment durations rising.

Meanwhile, total employment increased by 148,000 to 34.392 million, topping expectations of a 107,000 rise, and was up 416,000 on the year, supported by gains in both full-time and part-time work among employees and the self-employed.

The number of people holding second jobs declined in the latest quarter to 1.275 million, accounting for 3.7% of all employed individuals.



News Stream
UK Jobless Rate Rises to 5%
The UK unemployment rate rose to 5.0% in the three months to March 2026, above expectations and February’s 4.9%. The reading marked the first set of figures for the opening month of the US–Iran war, which added pressure to business costs and hiring conditions. Despite the higher rate, the number of unemployed people fell by 77,000 to 1.806 million, mainly driven by declines among those unemployed for up to six months and those out of work for between six and 12 months. Compared with the same period last year, however, unemployment increased by 192,000, with all unemployment durations rising. Meanwhile, total employment increased by 148,000 to 34.392 million, topping expectations of a 107,000 rise, and was up 416,000 on the year, supported by gains in both full-time and part-time work among employees and the self-employed. The number of people holding second jobs declined in the latest quarter to 1.275 million, accounting for 3.7% of all employed individuals.
2026-05-19
UK Jobless Rate Surprisingly Falls
The UK unemployment rate fell to 4.9% in the three months to February 2026, defying expectations of it remaining at the previous period’s 5.2%. The decline in unemployment coincided with a rise in economic inactivity, indicating that some Britons are leaving the workforce rather than finding new jobs. Unemployment decreased by 60,000 to 1.780 million, mainly among those out of work for less than six months. Meanwhile, 95,000 more people, including an increasing number of students, exited the labor market, driving total inactivity to 9.116 million and lifting the inactivity rate by 0.2 percentage points to 21.0%. Total employment grew by 24,000 to 34.328 million, pushing the employment rate up by 0.1 percentage points to 75.0%, largely due to an increase in full-time employment. Additionally, the number of people holding second jobs decreased to 1.273 million, accounting for 3.7% of all employed individuals.
2026-04-21
UK Jobless Rate Steady at 5.2%
The UK unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.2% in the three months to January 2026, below expectations of 5.3% but still at its highest level since the three months to February 2021. Total unemployment rose by 37 thousand quarter-on-quarter to 1.869 million, driven by increases among those unemployed for 6–12 months and over 12 months. Compared with the same period last year, unemployment was up by 323 thousand. Meanwhile, total employment increased by 84 thousand to 34.310 million, pushing the employment rate up by 0.2 percentage points to 75.1%. The number of people holding second jobs remained largely unchanged at 1.302 million, representing 3.8% of those in employment. The economic inactivity rate fell by 0.3 percentage points to 20.7%, with the number of inactive individuals decreasing by 99 thousand to 8.999 million.
2026-03-19