Unemployment in the UK: Economic indicators

Economic indicators are quick-read summaries of the latest data focusing on different aspects of the UK economy. The full suite of indicators can be found on the main Economic Indicators page.

In February 2024, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reintroduced Labour Force Survey (LFS) data, which also includes a population reweighting. This is after only some experimental headline data was published between October 2023 and January 2024 due to falling response rates. In December 2024, the ONS reweighted some labour market data with new population estimates. The ONS have said that the reintroduced LFS estimates should be treated with additional caution. The Library briefing UK Labour market statistics provides more information.

There were 1.57 million unemployed people in the UK in December to February 2025, an increase of 114,000 from the previous year.

The unemployment rate (the percentage of the economically active population who are unemployed) was 4.4%, up from 4.2% a year before.

643,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were unemployed in December to February 2025, 105,000 more than the year before.

The unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds was 14.6%, an increase from 12.8% a year before.

Unemployment rates increased by around 1 million people from 2008 to 2012, and then fell by a similar amount over a longer period up to 2019. Unemployment increased during the pandemic, and rates fell back around pre-pandemic levels over 2022 and have remained at similar levels since the middle of 2022. Rates have been erratic in 2024, possibly due to survey error.

Next updates

This page is updated when new data is published. The next source updates will be:

• ONS, Labour Market Statistics, 20 March 2025