UK Labour Market Statistics
This paper provides the latest statistics and analysis of employment, unemployment, economic inactivity and earnings in the UK.

This briefing describes the options available to employees when owed money by an insolvent employer or one who refuses to pay statutory redundancy pay.
Employment rights and insolvency (2 MB , PDF)
The Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996) and the Insolvency Act 1986 (IA 1986) provide two routes by which an employee might seek payment of debts owed to him or her by an insolvent employer. First, the Secretary of State must pay certain debts to employees, effected via the Redundancy Payments Service. Aside from in the case of unpaid redundancy pay, the Redundancy Payments Service will only pay these debts if the employer has become formally insolvent. Second, employees may seek payment from the company’s assets through insolvency proceedings or via administrators.
In outline, the options open to the employee may be summarised as follows:
This House of Commons briefing provides detailed information about each of these options. The law discussed applies to the whole UK.
This paper has been updated during the COVID-19 emergency. Many UK businesses are confronting serious commercial consequences, including a fall in consumer demand, delays in delivery of essential supplies, and cashflow difficulties. Some businesses (e.g. retail and hospitality) have been forced to stop trading altogether because of the nationwide lockdown. Despite government measures to protect businesses and jobs, the fear is that some businesses will inevitably fail, particularly those already in financial difficulty before the outbreak.
Employment rights and insolvency (2 MB , PDF)
This paper provides the latest statistics and analysis of employment, unemployment, economic inactivity and earnings in the UK.
This paper provides figures for the number of people claiming unemployment benefits (the “claimant count”) for the UK and by parliamentary constituency.
This briefing presents the latest statistics on youth unemployment in the UK as well as comparisons with other OECD countries.