FX.co ★ UK Unemployment Rises to Four-Year High

In the third quarter of 2025, the unemployment rate in the UK climbed to 5.0%, marking its highest level since the three months ending in May 2021 and slightly surpassing market expectations of 4.9%. The number of unemployed individuals increased by 117,000 from the previous quarter, reaching 1.789 million. This rise was primarily due to those who have been out of work for up to six months or more than twelve months. Concurrently, total employment saw a decline of 22,000, falling to 34.192 million. This marks the first drop in employment figures since the first quarter of 2024, predominantly attributable to a decrease in full-time positions. Meanwhile, the number of individuals holding second jobs experienced a slight uptick, reaching 1.33 million, which represents 3.9% of those employed. The employment rate decreased marginally by 0.1 percentage point to 75.0%, while the economic activity rate held steady at 79.0%.