The unemployment rate of the United Kingdom was 4.4 percent in January 2025, unchanged from the previous month. Before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK had relatively low levels of unemployment, comparable with the mid-1970s. Between January 2000 and the most recent month, unemployment was highest in November 2011 when the unemployment rate hit 8.5 percent. Will unemployment continue to rise in 2025? Although low by historic standards, there has been a noticeable uptick in the UK's unemployment rate, with other labor market indicators also pointing to further loosening. In December 2024, the number of job vacancies in the UK, fell to its lowest level since May 2021, while payrolled employment declined by 47,000 compared with November. Whether this is a continuation of a broader cooling of the labor market since 2022, or a reaction to more recent economic developments, such as upcoming tax rises for employers, remains to be seen. Forecasts made in late 2024 suggest that the unemployment rate will remain relatively stable in 2025, averaging out at 4.1 percent, and falling again to four percent in 2026.
Demographics of the unemployed As of the third quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate for men was slightly higher than that of women, at 4.4 percent, compared to 4.1 percent. During the financial crisis at the end of the 2000s, the unemployment rate for women peaked at a quarterly rate of 7.7 percent, whereas for men, the rate was 9.1 percent. Unemployment is also heavily associated with age, and young people in general are far more vulnerable to unemployment than older age groups. In late 2011, for example, the unemployment rate for those aged between 16 and 24 reached 22.3 percent, compared with 8.2 percent for people aged 25 to 34, while older age groups had even lower peaks during this time.

Unemployment Rate in the United Kingdom remained unchanged at 4.40 percent in January. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom was highest in Wales, where it was 5.4 percent, followed by England at 4.5 percent, Scotland at 3.8 percent, and 1.6 percent in Northern Ireland, the lowest rate among the four countries of the UK. For all four countries, the peak in unemployment during this period was in the early 2010s. England and Scotland's unemployment rates were highest in Q4 2011 at 8.4 percent and 8.6 percent respectively, with unemployment reaching 9.7 percent in Wales during Q3 2011. Northern Ireland reported its highest unemployment rate in Q1 of 2013 when it reached eight percent. Unemployment ticking up as UK enters 2025 For the United Kingdom as a whole, the unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in November 2024, the joint-highest rate recorded since August 2021. After reaching 8.5 percent in late 2011, unemployment in the UK fell quite consistently for several years, with this recovery interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw unemployment rise to 5.3 percent in late 2020 and early 2021. From this point onwards, however, the labor market bounced back, and was particular strong in 2022 when there were a record number of job vacancies and unemployment fell to as low as 3.6 percent. While the labor market cooled throughout 2023 and 2024, unemployment remained at historically low levels. Overall economy grows but GDP per head falls Throughout the whole of 2024, gross domestic product in the UK grew by 0.9 percent, but in the third quarter of the year, there was no economic growth, followed by the relatively weak growth rate of 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter. Furthermore, GDP per head in the UK, declined for a second-consecutive year, and was just 36,977 pounds in 2024, compared with 37,371 pounds in 2022. Inflation, meanwhile, has fallen from the peak of 11.1 percent in October 2022, but was still at the relatively high rate of four percent at the start of 2024, with this falling to 2.5 percent by the end of the year.

In January 2025, the employment rate in the United Kingdom was 74.9 percent, up from 74.7 percent in the same period a year earlier. After almost dropping below 70 percent in 2011, the employment rate in the United Kingdom started to climb at a relatively fast pace, peaking in early 2020. Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the employment declined to 74.6 percent by January 2021. Although not quite at pre-pandemic levels, the employment rate has since recovered. Hot UK labor market cools in 2023 Although unemployment in the UK spiked at 5.1 percent in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, it fell throughout most of 2022, to just 3.6 percent in August 2022. Around that time, the number of job vacancies in the UK was also at quite high levels, reaching a peak of 1.3 million by May 2022. The strong labor market put employees in quite a strong position, perhaps encouraging the high number of resignations that took place around that time. While wage growth has also been strong since 2022, these gains were cancelled-out for a long period between 2021 and 2023 when inflation grew faster than wages. By July 2023, unemployment had bounced back to 4.3 percent, while the number of job vacancies fell below one million in August 2023 for the first time since August 2021. UK in recession at end of 2023 Although the UK labor market has loosened since 2022, it has generally remained in good health, with unemployment low by historical standards. Inflation also fell throughout 2023, from 10.1 percent at the beginning of the year, to four percent by December. Getting inflation down to more acceptable levels, however, came at the expense of raising the Bank of England's already high-interest rate throughout 2023. The knock-on effect of higher borrowing costs likely did little to spur economic growth that year, with GDP growing by just 0.1 percent in 2023. Even this meager economic growth was only achieved due to growth in the first half of the year. In the second half of 2023, the economy shrank in two consecutive quarters, meaning the UK is officially in recession heading into a probable election year.

Approximately 14.8 percent of people aged 16 to 24 were unemployed in the United Kingdom in the fourth quarter of 2024, the highest of any age group in that month. During this time period, older age groups have had much lower unemployment rates than younger ones, who have consistently had the highest unemployment rate. For almost all the age groups, the peak in the unemployment rate was recorded in 2011 when almost a quarter of young working age people were unemployed. Young adults in the labor market In the provided time period, youth unemployment was at its lowest rate in the third quarter of 2022, when it was 10.3 percent. Since then, there has been a noticeable uptick in youth unemployment, which was 14.8 percent towards the end of 2024. A more long-term trend among this age group is the increase in economic inactivity, with 40.8 percent of 16 to 24-year-old's not in work or actively looking for work in 2024. Although students or people in training account for a high share of this economic inactivity, there has also been a rise in the proportion of young adults who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), which reached a ten-year-high of 13.2 percent in late 2024. Unemployment up from low baseline in late 2024 In 2022, the UK labor market, had very low levels of unemployment along with a record number of job vacancies. Throughout 2023 and 2024, this very tight labor market began to loosen, although is still quite low by historic standards. One indicator that has stood out since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, has been the number of people economically inactive due to being on long-term sick leave, which reached 2.82 million in the first quarter of 2024, and has been the main reason for economic inactivity in the UK since late 2021.

London had the highest unemployment rate among regions of the United Kingdom in the fourth quarter of 2024 at 6.1 percent, while for the UK as a whole, the unemployment rate was 4.4 percent. Four other regions also had an unemployment rate higher than the national average, while Northern Ireland had the lowest unemployment rate in this time period, at two percent. Labor market recovery after COVID-19 After reaching historically low levels of unemployment in 2019, there was a noticeable spike in the UK unemployment rate in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. After peaking at 5.1 percent in late 2020, the unemployment rate declined throughout 2021 and 2022. High levels of job vacancies, resignations, and staff shortages in 2022, were all indicative of a very tight labor market that year, but all these measures have started to point in the direction of a slightly looser labor market. UK's regional economic divide While the North of England has some of the country’s largest cities, the sheer size and economic power of London is much larger than the UK's other urban agglomerations. Partly, due to the size of London, the United Kingdom is one of Europe’s most centralized counties, and there is a clear divide between the economic prospects of north and south England. In 2022, for example, the gross domestic product per head in London was 57,338 British pounds, far higher than the UK average of 33,593 pounds, and significantly larger than North East England, the region with the lowest GDP per head at 24,172 pounds.

The youth unemployment rate for those aged between 16 and 24 in the United Kingdom was 14.5 percent in January 2025, compared with 14.7 percent in the previous month. After falling to just 9.2 percent in July 2022, the youth unemployment rate has increased at pace and is almost as high as it was following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Nevertheless, youth unemployment is lower than in the early 2010s, when youth unemployment reached a high of 22.5 percent in November 2011. Almost one million UK youth not in work or education In the fourth quarter of 2024, the number of people aged between 16 and 24 that were not in education, employment, or training (NEET) was 987,000, the highest figure in more than ten years. One of the main reasons for this increase has been the general rise in people being on long-term sick leave since the COVID-19 pandemic, which reached a peak of 2.8 million at the end of 2023. While older adults are still more likely to be on long-term sick, the number of younger workers on long-term sickness has increased more rapidly. In the ten years between 2014 and 2024, the number of 16 to 24-year-olds economically inactive for this reason increased from 138,000 to 271,000.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Great Britain Historical Database has been assembled as part of the ongoing Great Britain Historical GIS Project. The project aims to trace the emergence of the north-south divide in Britain and to provide a synoptic view of the human geography of Britain at sub-county scales. Further information about the project is available on A Vision of Britain webpages, where users can browse the database's documentation system online.

These data were originally published by the Poor Law Board, later renamed the Local Government Board, and cover England and Wales. They were computerised over many years by the Great Britain Historical GIS Project. They form part of the Great Britain Historical Database, which contains a wide range of geographically-located statistics, selected to trace the emergence of the north-south divide in Britain and to provide a synoptic view of the human geography of Britain, generally at sub-county scales.

The county-level data appeared in the Board's Annual Reports, while the union-level data appeared in their Returns to Parliament, within British Parliamentary Papers. The tabulations are always for the 1st of January and 1st of July. The original tables contain many columns, so two kinds of transcriptions have been made. Those labelled "full" include all columns but only for selected dates, while the other transcriptions cover all available dates but are generally limited just to total numbers of paupers and numbers of able-bodied male paupers, as the closest approximation to unemployment.

Please note: this study does not include information on named individuals and would therefore not be useful for personal family history research.

For the second edition (February 2024), the data was updated and extended to 1939, and former study 3713 was incorporated

Main Topics:

- Total and able-bodied pauperage in all Poor Law Counties in England and Wales, July 1859 to January 1919.

- Total and able-bodied pauperage in all Poor Law Unions in England and Wales, July 1859 to January 1912 (Returns to Parliament discontinued in WW1).

- All available categories of pauper (indoor/outdoor, able-bodied/not able-bodied/lunatics, men/women/children) in all Poor Law Counties in England and Wales, for January and July in 1860, 1863, 1866, 1868 and 1879 only.

- All available categories of pauper (indoor/outdoor, able-bodied/not able-bodied/lunatics, men/women/children) in selected Poor Law Unions in England and Wales, for January and July in 1860 to 1871. The selected unions always include all unions in Lancashire and sometimes cover a transect linking Lancashire with Norfolk.

- All available categories of pauper in selected Poor Law Unions in England and Wales, for July only from 1907 to 1911. The selected unions include all unions in London ('The Metropolis'), Lancashire and Durham plus selected major urban unions.

- Poor law statistics for all poor law unions from 1920 to 1930, then for Administrative Counties and County Boroughs from 1931 to 1939 (Data for 1920 and 1921 have a different format, which is fully included in a separate file).

In 2022, employed people in the white ‘other’ and Indian ethnic groups (both 82%) were the most likely to work full time out of all ethnic groups.

There were over 33.9 million people employed in the United Kingdom in the three months to January 2025. This represented a peak for the number of people employed in the country during this provided time period. In general, the number of people employed has consistently increased, with noticeable dips in employment occurring in 2008 due to the global financial crisis, and in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Labor market hot streak in 2022 Although there was a sharp increase in the UK's unemployment rate in the aftermath of COVID-19, the UK labor market bounced back forcefully after this sudden shock. By the middle of 2022, the UK's unemployment rate had recovered to pre-pandemic levels, while the number of job vacancies in the UK reached record highs. Wage growth was, by this point, growing at a much slower rate than inflation, which peaked at 11.1 percent in October 2022. In the two years since this peak, the UK labor market has cooled slightly; with unemployment reaching 4.4 percent by December 2024, and the number of job vacancies falling to the lowest figures since May 2021. Characteristics of UK workers As of 2024, the majority of UK workers were working in the private sector, at over 27.6 million workers. In the same year the size of the UK's public sector workforce stood at approximately 6.1 million, with over two million of these people working for the UK's National Health Service (NHS), and a further 1.66 million in the public education sector. In the UK's private sector, the industry sector which employed the most people was wholesale and retail, which had a workforce of over 4.9 million people, followed by administrative and support service roles at around 3.1 million.

Quarterly estimates for young people (aged 16 to 24 years) who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the UK. These are official statistics in development.

United Kingdom BS: Unemployment Rate: sa: Claimant Count: Great Britain data was reported at 2.700 % in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.600 % for Sep 2018. United Kingdom BS: Unemployment Rate: sa: Claimant Count: Great Britain data is updated monthly, averaging 3.850 % from Jan 1965 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 646 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.400 % in Aug 1986 and a record low of 1.200 % in Jun 1966. United Kingdom BS: Unemployment Rate: sa: Claimant Count: Great Britain data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.G011: Labour Force: Unemployment Claimant Count. Labour Force Estimates are shown for the mid-month of the three-month average time periods. For example, estimates for January to March 2012 are shown as 'February 2012', estimates for February to April 2012 are shown as 'March 2012', etc.

In the third quarter of 2024 the unemployment rate for men in the United Kingdom was 4.4 percent, while for women it was 4.1 percent. The male unemployment rates seen in late 2020 were the highest since 2015, while the rates for women reached heights last seen in 2016. During the provided time period, the unemployment rate for men peaked in Q1 1993 at 12.7 percent, while for women the unemployment rate was highest in Q2 1984 when it was 11.8 percent. Unemployment uptick to continue? The overall unemployment rate for the UK was 4.4 percent in November 2024, which was quite low but, slightly above the record low rates seen in 2022. During that year, there was also a peak in the number of job vacancies in the UK, which reached 1.3 million in May 2022. Since that point, however, the number of vacancies has been falling, and was at its lowest level since May 2021 in January 2024, at 812,000. Current forecasts for unemployment anticipate an annual rate of 4.1 percent for 2025, although this may be revised upwards in the future. Youth unemployment in the UK The unemployment rate for people in the United Kingdom is heavily associated with age. For people aged between 16 and 24 years, for example, the unemployment rate was 14.8 percent in the third quarter of 2024, compared with just 2.3 percent for those aged between 35 and 49. As with the overall unemployment rate, young men had a higher unemployment rate at 17.7 percent, compared with 11.9 percent for young women in the third quarter of 2024.

Background
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a unique source of information using international definitions of employment and unemployment and economic inactivity, together with a wide range of related topics such as occupation, training, hours of work and personal characteristics of household members aged 16 years and over. It is used to inform social, economic and employment policy. The LFS was first conducted biennially from 1973-1983. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually and consisted of a quarterly survey conducted throughout the year and a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter (data were then collected seasonally). From 1992 quarterly data were made available, with a quarterly sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data. The survey then became known as the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). From December 1994, data gathering for Northern Ireland moved to a full quarterly cycle to match the rest of the country, so the QLFS then covered the whole of the UK (though some additional annual Northern Ireland LFS datasets are also held at the UK Data Archive). Further information on the background to the QLFS may be found in the documentation.

Longitudinal data
The LFS retains each sample household for five consecutive quarters, with a fifth of the sample replaced each quarter. The main survey was designed to produce cross-sectional data, but the data on each individual have now been linked together to provide longitudinal information. The longitudinal data comprise two types of linked datasets, created using the weighting method to adjust for non-response bias. The two-quarter datasets link data from two consecutive waves, while the five-quarter datasets link across a whole year (for example January 2010 to March 2011 inclusive) and contain data from all five waves. A full series of longitudinal data has been produced, going back to winter 1992. Linking together records to create a longitudinal dimension can, for example, provide information on gross flows over time between different labour force categories (employed, unemployed and economically inactive). This will provide detail about people who have moved between the categories. Also, longitudinal information is useful in monitoring the effects of government policies and can be used to follow the subsequent activities and circumstances of people affected by specific policy initiatives, and to compare them with other groups in the population. There are however methodological problems which could distort the data resulting from this longitudinal linking. The ONS continues to research these issues and advises that the presentation of results should be carefully considered, and warnings should be included with outputs where necessary.

New reweighting policy
Following the new reweighting policy ONS has reviewed the latest population estimates made available during 2019 and have decided not to carry out a 2019 LFS and APS reweighting exercise. Therefore, the next reweighting exercise will take place in 2020. These will incorporate the 2019 Sub-National Population Projection data (published in May 2020) and 2019 Mid-Year Estimates (published in June 2020). It is expected that reweighted Labour Market aggregates and microdata will be published towards the end of 2020/early 2021.

LFS Documentation
The documentation available from the Archive to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each user guide volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the latest documents on the ONS Labour Force Survey - User Guidance pages before commencing analysis. This is especially important for users of older QLFS studies, where information and guidance in the user guide documents may have changed over time.

Additional data derived from the QLFS
The Archive also holds further QLFS series: End User Licence (EUL) quarterly data; Secure Access datasets; household datasets; quarterly, annual and ad hoc module datasets compiled for Eurostat; and some additional annual Northern Ireland datasets.

Variables DISEA and LNGLST
Dataset A08 (Labour market status of disabled people) which ONS suspended due to an apparent discontinuity between April to June 2017 and July to September 2017 is now available. As a result of this apparent discontinuity and the inconclusive investigations at this stage, comparisons should be made with caution between April to June 2017 and subsequent time periods. However users should note that the estimates are not seasonally adjusted, so some of the change between quarters could be due to seasonality. Further recommendations on historical comparisons of the estimates will be given in November 2018 when ONS are due to publish estimates for July to September 2018.

An article explaining the quality assurance investigations that have been conducted so far is available on the ONS Methodology webpage. For any queries about Dataset A08 please email Labour.Market@ons.gov.uk.

Occupation data for 2021 and 2022 data files

The ONS has identified an issue with the collection of some occupational data in 2021 and 2022 data files in a number of their surveys. While they estimate any impacts will be small overall, this will affect the accuracy of the breakdowns of some detailed (four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)) occupations, and data derived from them. Further information can be found in the ONS article published on 11 July 2023: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/revisionofmiscodedoccupationaldataintheonslabourforcesurveyuk/january2021toseptember2022" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Revision of miscoded occupational data in the ONS Labour Force Survey, UK: January 2021 to September 2022.

2022 Weighting

The population totals used for the latest LFS estimates use projected growth rates from Real Time Information (RTI) data for UK, EU and non-EU populations based on 2021 patterns. The total population used for the LFS therefore does not take into account any changes in migration, birth rates, death rates, and so on since June 2021, and hence levels estimates may be under- or over-estimating the true values and should be used with caution. Estimates of rates will, however, be robust.

Latest edition information

For the third edition (February 2025), the data file was resupplied with the 2024 weighting variable included (LGWT24).

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) asks a sole adult in a random sample of households about their, or their household's, experience of crime victimisation in the previous 12 months. These are recorded in the victim form data file (VF). A wide range of questions are then asked, covering demographics and crime-related subjects such as attitudes to the police and the criminal justice system (CJS). These variables are contained within the non-victim form (NVF) data file. In 2009, the survey was extended to children aged 10-15 years old; one resident of that age range was also selected from the household and asked about their experience of crime and other related topics. The first set of children's data covered January-December 2009 and is held separately under SN 6601. From 2009-2010, the children's data cover the same period as the adult data and are included with the main study.

The Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales (TCSEW) became operational on 20 May 2020. It was a replacement for the face-to-face CSEW, which was suspended on 17 March 2020 because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It was set up with the intention of measuring the level of crime during the pandemic. As the pandemic continued throughout the 2020/21 survey year, questions have been raised as to whether the year ending March 2021 TCSEW is comparable with estimates produced in earlier years by the face-to-face CSEW. The ONS Comparability between the Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales and the face-to-face Crime Survey for England and Wales report explores those factors that may have a bearing on the comparability of estimates between the TCSEW and the former CSEW. These include survey design, sample design, questionnaire changes and modal changes.

More general information about the CSEW may be found on the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales web page and for the previous BCS, from the GOV.UK BCS Methodology web page.

History - the British Crime Survey

The CSEW was formerly known as the British Crime Survey (BCS), and has been in existence since 1981. The 1982 and 1988 BCS waves were also conducted in Scotland (data held separately under SNs 4368 and 4599). Since 1993, separate Scottish Crime and Justice Surveys have been conducted. Up to 2001, the BCS was conducted biennially. From April 2001, the Office for National Statistics took over the survey and it became the CSEW. Interviewing was then carried out continually and reported on in financial year cycles. The crime reference period was altered to accommodate this.

Secure Access CSEW data
In addition to the main survey, a series of questions covering drinking behaviour, drug use, self-offending, gangs and personal security, and intimate personal violence (IPV) (including stalking and sexual victimisation) are asked of adults via a laptop-based self-completion module (questions may vary over the years). Children aged 10-15 years also complete a separate self-completion questionnaire. The questionnaires are included in the main documentation, but the data are only available under Secure Access conditions (see SN 7280), not with the main study. In addition, from 2011 onwards, lower-level geographic variables are also available under Secure Access conditions (see SN 7311).

New methodology for capping the number of incidents from 2017-18
The CSEW datasets available from 2017-18 onwards are based on a new methodology of capping the number of incidents at the 98th percentile. Incidence variables names have remained consistent with previously supplied data but due to the fact they are based on the new 98th percentile cap, and old datasets are not, comparability has been lost with years prior to 2012-2013. More information can be found in the 2017-18 User Guide (see SN 8464) and the article ‘Improving victimisation estimates derived from the Crime Survey for England and Wales’.

Latest Edition Information
For the second edition (March 2020), data based upon a new methodology of capping the number of incidents at the 98th percentile have been made available. Incidence variables names have remained consistent with previously supplied data but due to the fact they are based on the new 98th percentile cap, and old data sets are not, comparability has been lost with years prior to 2012-2013. More information can be found in the user guide that accompanies the 2017-2018 CSEW study, held under SN 8464.

Main Topics:

The study includes information from the adult and child questionnaires. Data from the adult and child samples are available as separate files.

Adults:
The adult non-victim form questionnaire covers: perceptions of crime and local area; performance of the CJS; mobile phone crime; experiences of the police (Module...

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. The Millennium Survey of Poverty and Social Exclusion (PSE) was designed to update the Breadline Britain Surveys which were conducted by Mori in 1983 and 1990 (see also Gordon et al, Breadline Britain in the 1990s). Firstly, a representative sample of the population of Great Britain was asked for their views on what constitutes the necessities of life in present day Britain. This was done in June 1999 using the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Omnibus Survey. Secondly, a specially selected sample was drawn from respondents to the 1998/99 General Household Survey, and interviewed in detail about their circumstances and their views on a range of issues associated with poverty and social exclusion. This dataset is associated with the second aspect of the survey; the follow-up to the GHS, referred to as PSE. The aims of the PSE survey were: To update the Breadline Britain Surveys; To estimate the size of groups of households in different circumstances; To explore movement in and out of poverty; To look at age and gender difference in experiences of and responses to poverty. It is planned that a similar survey will be carried out in other countries. Main Topics: The main topics covered include housing, health, time poverty, social networks and support, necessities, finance and debts, intra-household poverty, poverty over time, absolute and overall poverty, area deprivation, local services, crime, child's school, perceptions of poverty, activism as well as some demographics and information on income. A Kish Grid was used (see documentation for further information) Face-to-face interview Compilation or synthesis of existing material The face-to-face interviewing was done using CAPI and the interview included a card-sorting exercise. A Computer Assisted Self Interviewing (CASI) module was used to collect answers to sensitive questions, such as those on crime. Where the respondent was reluctant or unable to complete the self-completion section on the laptop the interviewer asked the respondent's permission to ask these questions. Some data were also obtained for this study from the General Household Survey. 1999 ADOPTED CHILDREN ADULTS AGE ALCOHOL USE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS APARTMENTS APPRENTICESHIP ATTITUDES BANK ACCOUNTS BASIC NEEDS BATHROOMS BEDROOMS BONUS PAYMENTS BUILDING MAINTENANCE BUILDING SOCIETY AC... BUSINESSES CARE OF DEPENDANTS CARE OF THE DISABLED CARE OF THE ELDERLY CENTRAL HEATING CEREMONIES CHILD BENEFITS CHILD CARE CHILD DAY CARE CHILDREN CHIROPODY CHRONIC ILLNESS CLEANING CLOTHING COHABITATION COLOUR TELEVISION R... COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS COMPACT DISC PLAYERS COMPANY CARS COMPUTERS CONSUMER GOODS CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES COOKING COSTS CRIME AND SECURITY DEBTS DENTISTS DEPRESSION DISABILITIES DISABLED PERSONS DISTANCE LEARNING DIVORCE DOMESTIC APPLIANCES DOMESTIC RESPONSIBI... ECONOMIC ACTIVITY EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND EDUCATIONAL COURSES EDUCATIONAL INSTITU... ELDERLY ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY EMPLOYEES EMPLOYERS EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT HISTORY ETHNIC GROUPS EXAMINATIONS EXPECTATION Equality FAMILIES FAMILY MEMBERS FATHER S PLACE OF B... FERTILITY FINANCIAL RESOURCES FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOOD FOOD AND NUTRITION FOSSIL FUELS FOSTER CHILDREN FRIENDS FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT FURNISHED ACCOMMODA... FURTHER EDUCATION GAS SUPPLY GENDER GENERAL PRACTITIONERS Great Britain HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD HEALTH HEALTH CONSULTATIONS HEALTH SERVICES HEALTH VISITORS HEARING HEARING AIDS HEARING IMPAIRMENTS HEATING SYSTEMS HIGHER EDUCATION HOBBIES HOLIDAYS HOME BUYING HOME HELP HOME OWNERSHIP HOME SHARING HOME VISITS HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT... HOSPITAL SERVICES HOSPITALIZATION HOURS OF WORK HOUSEHOLD BUDGETS HOUSEHOLDS HOUSES HOUSEWORK HOUSING HOUSING AGE HOUSING FACILITIES HOUSING TENURE INCOME INSURANCE INTEREST FINANCE INTERNET INVESTMENT JOB HUNTING KITCHENS LANDLORDS LEISURE TIME ACTIVI... LOANS MANAGERS MARITAL HISTORY MARITAL STATUS MARRIAGE MARRIAGE DISSOLUTION MATERNITY PATIENTS MEALS ON WHEELS MEDICAL PRESCRIPTIONS MOBILE HOMES MORTGAGES MOTHER S PLACE OF B... MOTOR VEHICLES NEIGHBOURS NURSES OCCUPATIONAL PENSIONS OCCUPATIONAL QUALIF... OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING OCCUPATIONS ONE PARENT FAMILIES OPTICIANS OVERTIME PARENTS PART TIME COURSES PART TIME EMPLOYMENT PATIENTS PENSIONS PERSONAL DEBT REPAY... PERSONAL HYGIENE PHYSICIANS PLACE OF BIRTH POLICE SERVICES POVERTY PREGNANCY PRIVATE PERSONAL PE... PRIVATE SECTOR PROFESSIONAL CONSUL... PUBLIC HOUSES PUBLIC TRANSPORT QUALIFICATIONS REDUNDANCY PAY RENTED ACCOMMODATION RENTS RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY RETIREMENT ROOM SHARING ROOMS SANDWICH COURSES SATELLITE RECEIVERS SAVINGS SCHOOL LEAVING AGE SELF EMPLOYED SHARED HOME OWNERSHIP SHELTERED HOUSING SHOPPING SIBLINGS SICK PERSONS SMOKING SMOKING CESSATION SOCIAL DISADVANTAGE SOCIAL EXCLUSION SOCIAL HOUSING SOCIAL SECURITY BEN... SOCIAL SECURITY CON... SOCIAL SUPPORT SOCIAL WORKERS SOCIO ECONOMIC STATUS SPORT SPOUSES STANDARD OF LIVING STATE RETIREMENT PE... STEPCHILDREN STERILIZATION MEDICAL STUDENTS SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYMENT SUPERVISORS Social behaviour an... Social conditions a... Specific social ser... TELEPHONES TELEVISION CHANNELS TELEVISION RECEIVERS TIED HOUSING TOBACCO TRAINING COURSES UNEMPLOYED UNEMPLOYMENT UNFURNISHED ACCOMMO... UNWAGED WORKERS VACANT HOUSING VIDEO RECORDERS VISION IMPAIRMENTS VISITS PERSONAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATIO... WAGES WALKING WATER SUPPLY WIDOWED inequality and soci...

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

Background
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a unique source of information using international definitions of employment and unemployment and economic inactivity, together with a wide range of related topics such as occupation, training, hours of work and personal characteristics of household members aged 16 years and over. It is used to inform social, economic and employment policy. The LFS was first conducted biennially from 1973-1983. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually and consisted of a quarterly survey conducted throughout the year and a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter (data were then collected seasonally). From 1992 quarterly data were made available, with a quarterly sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data. The survey then became known as the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). From December 1994, data gathering for Northern Ireland moved to a full quarterly cycle to match the rest of the country, so the QLFS then covered the whole of the UK (though some additional annual Northern Ireland LFS datasets are also held at the UK Data Archive). Further information on the background to the QLFS may be found in the documentation.

Longitudinal data
The LFS retains each sample household for five consecutive quarters, with a fifth of the sample replaced each quarter. The main survey was designed to produce cross-sectional data, but the data on each individual have now been linked together to provide longitudinal information. The longitudinal data comprise two types of linked datasets, created using the weighting method to adjust for non-response bias. The two-quarter datasets link data from two consecutive waves, while the five-quarter datasets link across a whole year (for example January 2010 to March 2011 inclusive) and contain data from all five waves. A full series of longitudinal data has been produced, going back to winter 1992. Linking together records to create a longitudinal dimension can, for example, provide information on gross flows over time between different labour force categories (employed, unemployed and economically inactive). This will provide detail about people who have moved between the categories. Also, longitudinal information is useful in monitoring the effects of government policies and can be used to follow the subsequent activities and circumstances of people affected by specific policy initiatives, and to compare them with other groups in the population. There are however methodological problems which could distort the data resulting from this longitudinal linking. The ONS continues to research these issues and advises that the presentation of results should be carefully considered, and warnings should be included with outputs where necessary.

New reweighting policy
Following the new reweighting policy ONS has reviewed the latest population estimates made available during 2019 and have decided not to carry out a 2019 LFS and APS reweighting exercise. Therefore, the next reweighting exercise will take place in 2020. These will incorporate the 2019 Sub-National Population Projection data (published in May 2020) and 2019 Mid-Year Estimates (published in June 2020). It is expected that reweighted Labour Market aggregates and microdata will be published towards the end of 2020/early 2021.

LFS Documentation
The documentation available from the Archive to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each user guide volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the latest documents on the ONS Labour Force Survey - User Guidance pages before commencing analysis. This is especially important for users of older QLFS studies, where information and guidance in the user guide documents may have changed over time.

Additional data derived from the QLFS
The Archive also holds further QLFS series: End User Licence (EUL) quarterly data; Secure Access datasets; household datasets; quarterly, annual and ad hoc module datasets compiled for Eurostat; and some additional annual Northern Ireland datasets.

Variables DISEA and LNGLST
Dataset A08 (Labour market status of disabled people) which ONS suspended due to an apparent discontinuity between April to June 2017 and July to September 2017 is now available. As a result of this apparent discontinuity and the inconclusive investigations at this stage, comparisons should be made with caution between April to June 2017 and subsequent time periods. However users should note that the estimates are not seasonally adjusted, so some of the change between quarters could be due to seasonality. Further recommendations on historical comparisons of the estimates will...

There were over 1.54 million unemployed people in the United Kingdom in the three months to January 2025, compared with just over 1.55 million in the previous month. In the provided time, there was a peak of 2.7 million people unemployed in November 2011, and a noticeable uptick in unemployment in 2020. The bump in unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic peaked at almost 1.8 million in December 2020, before falling to a low of 1.2 million in August 2022, before climbing up again to the most recent levels. Government plans to boost UK workforce Although the Labour Party inherited a relatively healthy unemployment rate of around four percent from the previous government, the UK's labor market is less robust than it first appears. The current level of economic inactivity, is seen as the more concerning figure, especially the rising share of people on long-term sick leave. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, at the end of 2019, there were around 2.08 million people economically inactive due to long-term sickness, with this figure increasing by around 740,000 by early 2024. Government plans to address the root cause of these issue, and improve incentives to work, were unveiled at the end of 2024, but may have come at an inopportune time. Labor market signals for 2025 Encouraging people back into work is one thing, making sure there are jobs there is another. Recent data suggests that the UK is continuing to cool off from an overheated labor market in 2022, which at one point saw 1.3 million job vacancies in the UK. Although the current level of job vacancies is at more usual levels, any further falls could spell trouble for the economy. In December 2024, the number of people on UK payrolls fell by 47,000, while the number of redundancies has started to climb. Some UK businesses have also signalled that they have, or plan to, lay off staff due to increased taxes set to come into force in the next financial year.