UK unemployment rate
Share of the economically active population aged 16 and over who are unemployed, seasonally adjusted, published monthly by the ONS.
Quick summary
- Unemployment rate (16+, seasonally adjusted): 4.9% (May–Jul 2026).
- Update frequency: Monthly, covering a rolling three-month period.
- Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Unemployment rate, aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted (series MGSX).
Unemployment rate (16+, seasonally adjusted)
4.9%
Data for: May–Jul 2026
Previous: 4.9% (Apr–Jun 2026)
What it is
People count as unemployed if they are out of work, have looked for work in the last four weeks and can start within two weeks. Each figure covers a three-month period, shown in the first column.
Why it matters
Unemployment is a key gauge of the economy and of wage pressure, so the Bank of England watches it closely when setting Bank Rate.
Recent history
| Date | Unemployment rate (16+, seasonally adjusted) |
|---|---|
| May–Jul 2026 | 4.9% |
| Apr–Jun 2026 | 4.9% |
| Mar–May 2026 | 4.9% |
| Feb–Apr 2026 | 4.9% |
| Jan–Mar 2026 | 5.0% |
| Dec–Feb 2025 | 4.9% |
| Nov–Jan 2025 | 5.2% |
| Oct–Dec 2025 | 5.2% |
| Sep–Nov 2025 | 5.1% |
| Aug–Oct 2025 | 5.1% |
| Jul–Sep 2025 | 5.0% |
| Jun–Aug 2025 | 4.8% |
| May–Jul 2025 | 4.7% |
| Apr–Jun 2025 | 4.7% |
| Mar–May 2025 | 4.7% |
| Feb–Apr 2025 | 4.6% |
| Jan–Mar 2025 | 4.6% |
| Dec–Feb 2024 | 4.5% |
| Nov–Jan 2024 | 4.4% |
| Oct–Dec 2024 | 4.4% |
| Sep–Nov 2024 | 4.4% |
| Aug–Oct 2024 | 4.2% |
| Jul–Sep 2024 | 4.3% |
| Jun–Aug 2024 | 4.1% |
How to read
Latest: 4.9%
Where it comes from
Office for National Statistics (ONS), Unemployment rate, aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted (series MGSX)
Careful
Information, not advice
What to do
Compare with the related indicators
Reading the uk unemployment rate figure
What the latest uk unemployment rate reading says
The most recent value on this page is 4.9%, for June 2026. Against the previous reading of 4.9%, that is 0.0% — effectively flat. Monthly, covering a rolling three-month period is how often Office for National Statistics (ONS), Unemployment rate, aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted (series MGSX) publishes it, so a single reading is a snapshot and not a trend. The 24 observations in the table above, from July 2024 onwards, are what gives the figure context.
Where the uk unemployment rate figure sits in its own history
Across the 24 readings loaded here, the series moved between 4.1% and 5.2%. The latest value sits inside that range, so nothing in this window is exceptional. A window this short cannot show a cycle. It shows the direction of travel and the size of the usual swing, which is enough to tell a normal move from an unusual one, and no more than that.
Who sets the uk unemployment rate and who it affects in United Kingdom
Office for National Statistics (ONS), Unemployment rate, aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted (series MGSX) publishes the uk unemployment rate series, and the page links the exact dataset and its licence below. Nothing here is a second-hand copy: the figure above is read from that source and shown with the date the source gave it. People reach this page searching for "uk unemployment rate", and the honest answer is the published figure plus its date. A national figure is an average: your own rate, bill or salary in United Kingdom will sit above or below it.
Glossary
Policy rate
The interest rate a central bank sets to steer the economy, and the floor under most other rates in that currency. It moves only when the rate-setting committee decides, so its history is a series of steps rather than a continuous line.
Basis point
One hundredth of a percentage point. Central banks and markets talk in basis points because "a 0.25 point cut" and "a 25 basis point cut" are the same thing, and the second wording leaves no room for doubt.
Real rate
An interest rate after inflation is taken out, roughly the quoted rate minus the inflation rate. A savings account paying less than inflation has a negative real rate, which means the money loses purchasing power.
Revision
A later correction of a published figure, as the statistics office receives more complete data. Values marked provisional or estimated are the ones most likely to change, which is why the page keeps the source flag.
National average
A figure averaged over a whole country, and therefore not a quote for you. Your own mortgage rate, salary or grocery bill depends on your region, your lender or your shop and will sit above or below the average.
Year-on-year inflation
The change in a price index against the same month a year earlier. It can fall while prices are still rising, because it measures the speed of the increase, not the level of prices.
Yield
The annual return an investor earns by lending money through a bond, expressed as a percentage of its price. Price and yield move in opposite directions: when a bond gets cheaper, its yield rises.
Update frequency: Monthly, covering a rolling three-month period
Information only, not financial advice. Figures come from the official source shown and may be revised.
Related indicators
- UK inflation rate (CPI)Latest UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) annual inflation rate from the Office for National Statistics, with monthly history.
- UK GDP growthUK gross domestic product growth, quarter on quarter, chained volume measures, seasonally adjusted, from the ONS.
- Bank of England base rateCurrent Bank Rate set by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee and every change since 2015, from the Bank of England Database.