Jump directly to the content
WORK RATE

How many people are unemployed in the UK and what is the unemployment rate in UK cities?

FIGURES for the number of people who are unemployed in the UK have been released.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of people without a job is at its lowest level for over 40 years.

 The unecmployment figures were welcomed by Esther McVey, the Work and Pensions Secretary
2
The unecmployment figures were welcomed by Esther McVey, the Work and Pensions SecretaryCredit: AFP

How many people are unemployed in the UK?

There are currently 1.36 million unemployed people in the UK.

The figure has fallen of 55,000 since July and 95,000 since the same time last year.

There were 32.40 million people in work, little changed compared with February to April 2018 but 261,000 more than for a year earlier.

The employment rate - the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 years who were in work - was 75.5 per cent.

That was slightly lower than for February to April 2018 - 75.6 per cent - but higher than for a year earlier - 75.3 per cent.

 The number of people claiming benefits for being unemployed rose in August
2
The number of people claiming benefits for being unemployed rose in AugustCredit: PA:Press Association

The ONS said job vacancies rose by 14,000 in the period to 833,000 - a record high.

But the unemployment figure could be set to rise as the number of people claiming benefits for being unemployed rose in August.

The claimant count, which includes people on Jobseeker's Allowance and the unemployment element of Universal Credit, rose by 8,700 to 918,800, around 118,500 more than a year earlier.

What is the unemployment rate in UK?

The unemployment rate - the number of unemployed people as a proportion of all employed and unemployed people - was 4.0 per cent.

Last time the figure was that low was between December 1974 and February 1975.

The number of people classed as economically inactive rose 108,000 to 8.76 million in the last three months, giving a rate of 21.2 per cent of the workforce.

They include including students, those on long-term sick leave, taken early retirement, or who have given up looking for work.

The number of self-employed workers decreased by 46,000 to 4.8 million.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Esther McVey, said: "Since 2010 we have delivered significant growth in jobs, and in the last six months we've seen real terms wage growth.

"We haven't had a lower unemployment rate for over forty years and I'm especially proud that youth unemployment is at a record low, falling by over 45 per cent since 2010 - opening up career opportunities for our next generation.”

Topics