Latest reading: Employment growth reached 64,000 in November, following a loss of 105,000 jobs in October and exceeding market forecasts...
Unemployment in United Kingdom
The unemployment rate in the United Kingdom averaged 4.6% in the decade to 2024, below the 5.8% average for Major Economies. The unemployment rate in the United Kingdom was 4.3% in 2024. For more information on unemployment, visit our dedicated page.
United Kingdom Unemployment Chart
Note: This chart displays Unemployment Rate for United Kingdom from 2014 to 2025.
Source: Macrobond.
United Kingdom Unemployment Data
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment (% of active population, aop) | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.3 |
| Unemployment (% of active population, eop) | 5.3 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.4 |
Consensus Forecasts and Projections for the next ten years
How should you choose a forecaster if some are too optimistic while others are too pessimistic? FocusEconomics collects British unemployment projections for the next ten years from a panel of 34 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. By averaging all forecasts, upside and downside forecasting errors tend to cancel each other out, leading to the most reliable unemployment forecast available for British unemployment.
Download one of our sample reports to visualize what a Consensus Forecast is and see our British unemployment projections.
Want to get access to the full dataset of British unemployment forecasts? Send an email to info@focus-economics.com.
Latest Global Unemployment News
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United States: Job gains beat expectations in November -
Australia: Unemployment rate dips in November Latest reading: The seasonally adjusted jobless rate came in at 4.3% in November 2025, holding steady from October and coming... -
Euro Area: Unemployment rate stabilizes in October Latest reading: In October, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 6.4%, close to July’s record-low of 6.2%. As for... -
Australia: Labor market beats expectations in October Latest reading: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate eased to 4.3% in October from 4.5% in September, below market expectations. The... -
Euro Area: Unemployment rate stabilizes in September Latest reading: In September, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 6.3%, close to July’s record-low 6.2%. As for the... -
Spain: Unemployment rate rises slightly in Q3 Latest reading: The unemployment rate rose to 10.5% in Q3 from 10.3% in Q2. The market had expected a slight... -
Australia: Labor market disappoints in September Latest reading: Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.5% in September 2025, surpassing both expectations and August’s revised figure....