UK unemployment rate in 16-64 age group estimated 4.7% during May-Jul

The number of payrolled employees in the United Kingdom fell by an estimated 142,000, or 0.5 per cent, year on year (YoY) and by 6,000 month on month (MoM) in July this year, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Between May and July 2025, the number of payrolled employees fell by 125,000, or 0.4 per cent, YoY and by 51,000, 0.2 per cent, quarter on quarter (QoQ).

The provisional estimate of payrolled employees for August decreased by 127,000, or 0.4 per cent, YoY and by 8,000 MoM to 30.3 million.

The UK economic inactivity rate for people aged 16 to 64 was estimated at 21.1 per cent in May-July 2025. This is down in the latest quarter and below estimates of a year ago.

The estimated number of vacancies in the country fell by 10,000, or 1.4 per cent, QoQ to 728,000 in June-August 2025. This is the 38th consecutive period where vacancy numbers have dropped compared with the previous three months, with vacancies decreasing in nine of the 18 industrial sectors.

The estimated number of workforce jobs in the country was 36.8 million in June this year—a decrease of 182,000, or 0.5 per cent, from March 2025, but an increase of 139,000, or 0.4 per cent, YoY.

In the May-July period this year, the highest employment rate in the country was in the South West (80 per cent) and the lowest was in the North East (68.3 per cent), while the highest unemployment rate was in the West Midlands (6 per cent) and the lowest was in Northern Ireland (2.2 per cent).

The highest economic inactivity rate during this period was in the North East (27.9 per cent) and the lowest was in the South West (17.2 per cent).

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)