Unemployment Rate in the United Kingdom increased to 4.70 percent in May from 4.60 percent in April of 2025. 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.

The unemployment rate of the United Kingdom was 4.7 percent in May 2025, an increase 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 by age and duration (seasonally adjusted). These estimates are sourced from the Labour Force Survey, a survey of households. These are official statistics in development.

Youth Unemployment Rate in the United Kingdom decreased to 12.20 percent in May from 12.70 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Youth Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The youth unemployment rate for those aged between 16 and 24 in the United Kingdom was 14.2 percent in May 2025, compared with 14.2 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. Prospects for youth employment in 2025 Reversing the current trend of increasing youth inactivity is one of the main challenges facing the UK economy in 2025. It is currently unclear if the labor market is equipped to handle this issue, however. Job vacancies, while not at a particularly low level, have been falling for several months since peaking in 2022. UK businesses are also under pressure from an increase in the national insurance they must pay from April 2025 onwards, with taxation being the main external concern of UK businesses at the end of 2024. In this environment, it is uncertain if they will hire more staff, especially younger workers who have spent extended periods of time out of work.

Unemployment by previous industrial sector. These estimates are sourced from the Labour Force Survey, a survey of households. These are official statistics in development.

U.K. unemployment rate for 2024 was 4.11%, a 0.13% increase from 2023.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>U.K. unemployment rate for 2023 was <strong>3.98%</strong>, a <strong>0.25% increase</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>U.K. unemployment rate for 2022 was <strong>3.73%</strong>, a <strong>1.1% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>U.K. unemployment rate for 2021 was <strong>4.83%</strong>, a <strong>0.35% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
</ul>Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.

In the first quarter of 2025 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.

United Kingdom UK: Unemployment Rate data was reported at 4.144 % in Mar 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.241 % for Dec 2017. United Kingdom UK: Unemployment Rate data is updated quarterly, averaging 4.527 % from Mar 1957 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 245 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.033 % in Dec 1982 and a record low of 1.200 % in Jun 1966. United Kingdom UK: Unemployment Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Quarterly.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Monthly Unemployment Rate Total: 15 Years or over for United Kingdom (LRHUTTTTGBM156N) from Jan 1983 to Mar 2025 about harmonized, United Kingdom, unemployment, persons, and rate.

Employment, unemployment and economic inactivity levels and rates by age group, UK, rolling three-monthly figures, seasonally adjusted. Labour Force Survey. These are official statistics in development.

Unemployment by age and sex for UK regions and countries, rolling three-monthly figures published monthly, not seasonally adjusted. Labour Force Survey.

The statistic shows the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2023. The UK's unemployment rate decreased to 3.98 percent in 2023. Unemployment and the economy of the United Kingdom The global financial crisis of 2008 left many nations with high inflation and increasing unemployment rates. The United Kingdom, however, has attempted and successfully lowered the unemployment rate since 2009. The UK is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Council of Europe, the G7, the G8, the G20, NATO, and World Trade Organization. It is therefore one of the biggest and most important economic powers in the world. It consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in 2014, the UK population amounted to over 64 million people. The same year, it reported the sixth largest gross domestic product in the world, reaching more than 2.8 billion U.S. dollars - and with a prospering economy, its GDP is on the upswing: It is estimated that the GDP in the United Kingdom will grow by approximately 3 percent in 2015 in comparison to the previous year. Regarding unemployment, the UK has never been "typically European". Europe's unemployment rate has been relatively high in comparison to other world regions; the unemployment rate in developed countries and the European Union in 2014 was around 7.8 percent. Meanwhile, the global unemployment rate in 2014 was an estimated 5.9 percent. Despite reporting the third highest unemployment rate in major industrial and emerging countries, behind France and India, the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom is much lower than the European Union rate.

The United Kingdom: Unemployment rate forecast: The latest value from 2030 is 4.1 percent, unchanged from 4.1 percent in 2029. In comparison, the world average is 6.28 percent, based on data from 100 countries. Historically, the average for the United Kingdom from 1980 to 2030 is 6.73 percent. The minimum value, 3.8 percent, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 11.75 percent was recorded in 1984.

Key information about UK Unemployment Rate

• UK Unemployment Rate dropped to 3.93% in Oct 2023, from the previously reported figure of 3.95% in Sep 2023.
• UK Unemployment Rate is updated monthly, available from Aug 2022 to Oct 2023, with an average rate of 3.93%.
• The data reached an all-time high of 4.33% in Jun 2023 and a record low of 3.75% in Aug 2022.
• The data is reported by reported by Office for National Statistics.
• In the latest reports, UK Population reached 67.03 million people in Dec 2021.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Monthly Unemployment Rate Total: 25 Years or over for United Kingdom (LRHUADTTGBM156S) from Jan 1983 to Mar 2025 about 25 years +, harmonized, United Kingdom, unemployment, and rate.

Historical dataset showing U.K. youth unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

United Kingdom UK: Unemployment Rate: % Change data was reported at -10.357 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of -8.703 % for 2016. United Kingdom UK: Unemployment Rate: % Change data is updated yearly, averaging -1.107 % from Dec 1952 (Median) to 2017, with 66 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 160.470 % in 2009 and a record low of -34.366 % in 1997. United Kingdom UK: Unemployment Rate: % Change data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Annual.

The unemployment rate in the United Kingdom stands at 4.6 percent according to the latest data from . That reading shows an increase from the level of 4.5 percent in the previous month and an increase from the level of 4.4 percent in the same month of the previous year. The unemployment rate...

United Kingdom UK: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data was reported at -2.996 % in Mar 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.367 % for Feb 2018. United Kingdom UK: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data is updated monthly, averaging 0.000 % from Feb 1957 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 734 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 76.572 % in Feb 2009 and a record low of -15.859 % in Jan 1997. United Kingdom UK: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment.