Unemployment – National: Key Economic Indicators

There were 1.74 million unemployed people in the UK in October-December 2020, an increase of 121,000 from the previous quarter and an increase of 454,000 from the year before.

The unemployment rate was 5.1%, (the percentage of the economically active population who are unemployed) the highest rate since early 2016. This is up from 4.8% from the previous quarter and 3.8% from the previous year. The rate reached a post-recession high of 8.5% in late 2011.

Young people

589,000 young people aged 16-24 were unemployed, down 12,000 from the previous quarter but up 109,000 from the year before. The unemployment rate for 16‑24 year olds was 14.4%, up from 11.3% a year before.

Men and women

959,000 men were unemployed, up 28,000 from the previous quarter and up 252,000 from the year before.

785,000 women were unemployed, up 93,000 from the previous quarter and up 203,000 from a year ago.

The unemployment rate for men was 5.4% and the unemployment rate was 4.8% for women.