UK statistics
UK Unemployment Rate 2026: 4.9% Headline + Labour Market Detail
The UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over was estimated at 4.9% in May to July 2026 (ONS Labour market overview, released 15 September 2026). That is up 0.2 percentage points on the year and largely unchanged on the quarter. The employment rate (16-64) was 75.1% and the economic inactivity rate 20.9%.
Headline numbers
- UK unemployment rate May-Jul 2026
- 4.9% 16+, ONS LFS
- UK employment rate
- 75.1% 16-64, May-Jul 2026
- UK Claimant Count August 2026
- 1.692m up on month + year (provisional)
The detail
The UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over was 4.9% in the May to July 2026 rolling quarter, according to the ONS Labour Force Survey. That is 0.2 percentage points higher than a year earlier and largely unchanged on the previous quarter.
The employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 was 75.1%, down 0.1 percentage points on the year and largely unchanged on the quarter. The economic inactivity rate (people aged 16 to 64 who are neither in work nor unemployed) was 20.9%, down 0.1 percentage points on both the year and the quarter.
HMRC payroll data point the same way. The early estimate of payrolled employees for August 2026 was 30.2 million, down 145,000 (0.5%) on the year. The Claimant Count, which counts people claiming benefits principally because they are unemployed, rose on both the month and the year to 1.692 million in August 2026; ONS notes that the latest month is provisional and subject to revision.
Vacancies fell by 8,000 on the quarter to 702,000 in June to August 2026. Outside the Covid-19 pandemic, the last time there were 702,000 or fewer vacancies was August to October 2014. ONS reports that feedback from its Vacancy Survey continues to suggest smaller firms may not be recruiting because of increases in labour costs.
Sources
- ONS - Labour market overview, UK: September 2026 (released 15 September 2026) (retrieved 2026-09-30)
- ONS - Unemployment rate (aged 16+, seasonally adjusted) time series (retrieved 2026-09-30)
- Our methodology & full source list →
Related statistics
- Real Wages
UK real average weekly earnings (total pay, adjusted for CPIH inflation) were £531 a week in July 2026, 2.9% above the pre-financial-crisis peak of £516 in March 2008. The series has been above that peak in every month since February 2024, after 16 years below it outside the Covid distortion.
- Median Household Income
The median UK household disposable income was £36,700 a year in the financial year ending 2024 - after direct taxes, including cash benefits, and equivalised for household size (ONS, the latest release).
- UK Tax Burden
Effective combined tax (Income Tax + employee NI) rises from 16.3% on a £30,000 salary to 39.1% on £150,000 in 2026/27 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) - not the headline marginal rate but the blended total-tax share.