Reference card
Labour market
Unemployment and employment rates are different denominators, not mirror images - both can rise at once when inactivity moves.
Rates are seasonally adjusted Labour Force Survey estimates; the LFS has had well-publicised response-rate problems, which is why revisions are shown.
4.9% of workers were unemployed in March 2026
Roughly 5 in every 100 people who want work and are looking for it did not have a job. A year earlier it was 4.6% - so unemployment has risen.
Full provenance - official series name, source, fingerprint
SERIES: Unemployment rate (aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted): %RELEASED: 17 Jun 2026NEXT RELEASE: 21 July 2026SOURCE: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/timeseries/mgsx/lms/dataRETRIEVED: 16 Jul 2026 · sha256 9832deb6…96d2Challenge this figure
75% of working-age people were in work in March 2026
Out of every 100 people aged 16-64, about 75 had a job. A year earlier it was 75.1%.
Full provenance - official series name, source, fingerprint
SERIES: Employment rate (aged 16 to 64, seasonally adjusted): %RELEASED: 17 Jun 2026NEXT RELEASE: 21 July 2026SOURCE: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/timeseries/lf24/lms/dataRETRIEVED: 16 Jul 2026 · sha256 41a597d7…edd4Challenge this figure