FX.co ★ UK Jobless Rate Climbs to 4½-Year High

The United Kingdom's unemployment rate rose to 5.1% during the three-month period ending in October 2025, aligning with market forecasts and increasing from the previous 5.0%. This marks the highest unemployment rate since the three months leading to March 2021. The total number of unemployed individuals increased by 158,000, reaching 1.832 million—primarily driven by those unemployed for up to six months, as well as those unemployed for 6–12 months and over twelve months. Concurrently, overall employment decreased by 16,000 to 34.226 million, reflecting the second consecutive quarter of decline, mainly due to a reduction in full-time roles. The number of individuals holding second jobs saw a slight increase, reaching 1.302 million, which represents 3.8% of the employed population. The employment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points to 74.9%, while the labor force participation rate remained steady at 79.0%.