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.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.BackgroundThe British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey series began in 1983. The series is designed to produce annual measures of attitudinal movements to complement large-scale government surveys that deal largely with facts and behaviour patterns, and the data on party political attitudes produced by opinion polls. One of the BSA's main purposes is to allow the monitoring of patterns of continuity and change, and the examination of the relative rates at which attitudes, in respect of a range of social issues, change over time. Some questions are asked regularly, others less often. Funding for BSA comes from a number of sources (including government departments, the Economic and Social Research Council and other research foundations), but the final responsibility for the coverage and wording of the annual questionnaires rests with NatCen Social Research (formerly Social and Community Planning Research). The BSA has been conducted every year since 1983, except in 1988 and 1992 when core funding was devoted to the British Election Study (BES).Further information about the series and links to publications may be found on the NatCen Social Research British Social Attitudes webpage. Main Topics:Each year, the BSA interview questionnaire contains a number of 'core' questions, which are repeated in most years. In addition, a wide range of background and classificatory questions is included. The remainder of the questionnaire is devoted to a series of questions (modules) on a range of social, economic, political and moral issues - some are asked regularly, others less often. Cross-indexes of those questions asked more than once appear in the reports. In the 1993 survey, as well as the standard demographic and classificatory items, the following topics were covered: government spending and the National Health Service; labour market participation, the workplace, redundancy and employee decision-making; AIDS; primary and secondary school education; Northern Ireland; charitable giving; illegal drugs; sexual relations; the countryside; transport and the environment; European Community; economic issues and policies (including income and taxation); social security benefits and child maintenance; the environment (ISSP module); environmental consumerism. Multi-stage stratified random sample See documentation for each BSA year for full details. 1993 ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT ACCESS TO EDUCATION ACCESS TO INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION ADOPTION AGE AGRICULTURAL LAND AGRICULTURAL POLICY AGRICULTURAL PRODUC... AGRICULTURAL SUBSIDIES AID AIDS DISEASE AIR POLLUTION AMBULANCE SERVICES ANIMAL RIGHTS ANIMAL TESTING ARMED FORCES ATTITUDES BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS BONUS PAYMENTS BUSES BUSINESSES CANNABIS CAR PARKING AREAS CAR SHARING CAREERS GUIDANCE CATHOLICISM CENSORSHIP CHARITABLE ORGANIZA... CHEMICALS CHILD BEHAVIOUR CHILD BENEFITS CHILD DEVELOPMENT CHILD PROTECTION CHILDREN CLINICAL TESTS AND ... COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COMMUNITY IDENTIFIC... COMMUTING CONDITIONS OF EMPLO... CONSERVATION OF NATURE COST OF LIVING COUNTRYSIDE COUNTRYSIDE CONSERV... CRIME AND SECURITY CULTURAL EXPENDITURE CULTURAL IDENTITY CURRENCIES CURRICULUM DEATH PENALTY DECISION MAKING DEMOCRACY DENTISTS DISABLED PERSONS DOMESTIC RESPONSIBI... DRIVING DRUG ABUSE DRUG CONTROL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC POLICY EDUCATIONAL ADMINIS... EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND EDUCATIONAL CHOICE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRON... EDUCATIONAL EXPENDI... EDUCATIONAL FEES EDUCATIONAL OPPORTU... EDUCATIONAL POLICY EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS EDUCATIONAL TESTS ELDERLY EMPLOYEES EMPLOYERS EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT HISTORY EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUN... EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES ENERGY CONSUMPTION ENERGY EFFICIENCY ENERGY SECURITY ENVIRONMENT POLICY ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES ENVIRONMENTAL CONSE... ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRA... ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ENVIRONMENTAL MANAG... ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEM... ENVIRONMENTAL PLANN... ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ETHNIC GROUPS EUROPEAN UNION EVALUATION OF EDUCA... EXAMINATIONS EXPECTATION FAITH SCHOOLS FAMILY MEMBERS FATHERS FIELDS OF STUDY FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS FINANCIAL EXPECTATIONS FINANCIAL RESOURCES FINANCIAL SUPPORT FINANCING FOOD AID FREEDOM OF SPEECH FRINGE BENEFITS FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT FUND RAISING GENDER GENERAL PRACTITIONERS GIFTS GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT POLICY HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD HEALTH FOODS HEALTH PROFESSIONALS HEALTH RELATED BIOT... HEALTH SERVICES HEROIN HIGHER EDUCATION HOME OWNERSHIP HOMEWORK HOMOSEXUALITY HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT... HOSPITAL SERVICES HOSPITALIZATION HOURS OF WORK HOUSEHOLDS HOUSING HOUSING TENURE HUMAN SETTLEMENT HUNTING INCOME INCOME DISTRIBUTION INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION INDUSTRIES INFIDELITY INFLATION INFORMATION INTEREST COGNITIVE ... INTERNATIONAL COMPE... INTERNATIONAL COOPE... INTERNATIONAL RELAT... INTERNATIONAL ROLE JOB CHANGING JOB EVALUATION JOB HUNTING JOB LOSSES JOB REQUIREMENTS JOB SATISFACTION JOB SECURITY LABOUR MIGRATION LABOUR RELATIONS LAND USE LANDLORDS LAW LAW ENFORCEMENT LAWFUL OPPOSITION LEGISLATION LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT MANAGERS MARITAL STATUS MEDICAL CARE MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS MEDICAL INSURANCE MEMBERSHIP MILITARY EXPENDITURE MORAL EDUCATION MORAL VALUES MOTHERS MOTOR VEHICLES NATIONAL BACKGROUND NATIONAL CHARACTER NATURAL ENERGY RESO... NATURAL ENVIRONMENT NATURAL SELECTION NEWSPAPER READERSHIP NEWSPAPERS NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS NUCLEAR REACTOR SAFETY NURSING CARE OCCUPATIONAL PENSIONS OCCUPATIONS ORGANIC FARMING PACKAGING PARENT PARTICIPATION PARENT RESPONSIBILITY PARENT SCHOOL RELAT... PARENT TEACHER RELA... PART TIME EMPLOYMENT PARTNERSHIPS BUSINESS PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES PERSONAL EFFICACY PESTICIDES PETROL CONSUMPTION POLICY MAKING POLITICAL ALLEGIANCE POLITICAL ATTITUDES POLITICAL AWARENESS POLITICAL REPRESENT... POLITICAL UNIFICATION POLLUTION POLLUTION CONTROL POVERTY PRE PRIMARY EDUCATION PRE PRIMARY SCHOOLS PREMARITAL SEX PRICE POLICY PRICES PRIMARY EDUCATION PRIMARY SCHOOLS PRIVATE EDUCATION PRIVATE SCHOOLS PRIVATE SECTOR PRODUCTIVITY PROFESSIONAL CONSUL... PROFESSIONAL OCCUPA... PROFIT SHARING PROGRESS PROTESTANTISM PUBLIC EXPENDITURE PUBLIC INFORMATION PUBLIC SECTOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT PURCHASING QUALIFICATIONS QUALITY OF EDUCATION RADIATION HAZARDS RADIOACTIVE WASTES RADIOACTIVITY RAILWAY TRANSPORT RATES OF PAY REDUNDANCY RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION RELIGIOUS ATTENDANCE RELIGIOUS CONFLICT RELIGIOUS DISCRIMIN... RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES RELIGIOUS SEGREGATION RENTED ACCOMMODATION REPRESENTATIVE DEMO... RESOURCES CONSERVATION RESPONSIBILITY RETIREMENT RETRAINING RIGHT TO NON DISCRI... ROAD SAFETY ROAD TOLL CHARGES ROAD TRAFFIC ROAD TRAFFIC NOISE ROADS RURAL AREAS RURAL DEVELOPMENT RURAL TRANSPORT SATISFACTION SCHOOL DISCIPLINE SCHOOL LEAVING AGE SCHOOLS SCHOOLTEACHERS SCIENCE SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS SCIENTISTS SEA RESCUE SECONDARY EDUCATION SECONDARY SCHOOL CU... SECONDARY SCHOOL TE... SECONDARY SCHOOLS SELF EMPLOYED SELF GOVERNMENT SET ASIDE LAND SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR SHARES SHOPPING SICK PERSONS SOCIAL ATTITUDES SOCIAL HOUSING SOCIAL INEQUALITY SOCIAL POLICY SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SOCIAL SECURITY SOCIAL SECURITY BEN... SOCIAL SECURITY CON... SOCIAL SUCCESS SOCIAL SUPPORT SOCIAL WELFARE SOCIAL WELFARE FINANCE SOCIAL WELFARE PHIL... SOCIAL WORK SOCIAL WORKERS SOCIALIZATION SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCA... SPOUSE S ECONOMIC A... SPOUSE S EMPLOYMENT SPOUSE S OCCUPATION SPOUSES STANDARD OF LIVING STATE AID STATE CONTROL STATE EDUCATION STATE RESPONSIBILITY STATE RETIREMENT PE... STUDENT BEHAVIOUR STUDENT SELECTION STUDENTS SUPERVISORS Social behaviour an... Social conditions a... TAXATION TEACHER SALARIES TEACHER STUDENT REL... TEACHING TELEPHONES TERMINATION OF SERVICE TRADE UNION MEMBERSHIP TRADE UNIONS TRANSITION FROM SCH... TRANSMISSION OF DIS... TRANSPORT TRANSPORT PLANNING TRANSPORT POLICY TRAVEL TRAVELLING TIME UNEMPLOYED UNEMPLOYMENT UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS URBAN AREAS URBAN CENTRES URBAN TRANSPORT VEGETARIANISM VOLUNTARY WORK VOTING INTENTION WAGE DETERMINATION WAGE INCREASES WAGES WALKING WASTE COLLECTION WASTE DISPOSAL AND ... WASTES WATER POLLUTION WATER SUPPLY WELFARE POLICY WILDLIFE PROTECTION WORKING CONDITIONS YOUTH