The UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over was 4.7% in June to August 2026, down 0.1 percentage points on both the quarter and the year, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics on 20 October. The employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 rose to 75.3%, while economic inactivity fell to 20.9%.
Vacancies decreased by 21,000, or 2.9%, to 691,000 in July to September, the largest quarterly decline recorded since the start of 2026. HMRC administrative data also showed payrolled employee numbers down 0.4% between August 2025 and August 2026. The early payroll estimate for September is provisional and may be revised as additional data arrive; ONS separately describes limitations in its Labour Force Survey estimates.
HABER PAPER / DATA
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Indicators
UK labour-market indicators
The UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over was 4.7% in June to August 2026, down 0.1 percentage points on both the quarter and the year, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics on 20 October. The employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 rose to 75.3%, while economic inactivity fell to 20.9%. Vacancies decreased by 21,000, or 2.9%, to 691,000 in July to September, the largest quarterly decline recorded since the start of 2026. HMRC administrative data also showed payrolled employee numbers down 0.4% between August 2025 and August 2026. The early payroll estimate for September is provisional and may be revised as additional data arrive; ONS separately describes limitations in its Labour Force Survey estimates.
UK labour-market indicators — Unemployment rate, age 16+, Jun–Aug
4.7 percentData period: 2026-08 · Estimate
UK labour-market indicators — Employment rate, age 16–64, Jun–Aug
75.3 percentData period: 2026-08 · Estimate
UK labour-market indicators — Vacancies, quarterly change, Jul–Sep
-2.9 percentData period: 2026-09 · Estimate
UK labour-market indicators — Vacancies, Jul–Sep
691,000 countData period: 2026-09 · Estimate
UK labour-market indicators — Payrolled employees, Aug year-on-year change
-0.4 percentData period: 2026-08 · Estimate
Source and methodology
Haber Paper source-linked editorial data compilation; underlying sources retain their separate reuse terms.
ONS Labour Force Survey estimates and administrative payroll data. Reference periods and denominators are specified in indicator labels; vacancies are a July–September quarterly estimate.
INSEE data for 2022 put the share of the region’s most polluting car classes at 29.8%, rising to 48.7% among car-owning households with the lowest incomes.
INE reported that the index fell 1.8% from the preceding quarter in the fourth quarter of 2026. The balance of firms expecting favorable conditions narrowed to 5.7 points.
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