The UK labour market showed stronger momentum at the start of 2026, with employment rising by 84,000 on a three-month-on-three-month basis in January. The latest data, updated on 19 March 2026, indicates a notable pickup from December 2025, when employment increased by 52,000 over the prior three-month period.
Measured on a month-over-month comparison basis, the January figure signals that job creation has accelerated, as the “actual” reading for January 2026 (84K) outpaces the “previous” reading for December 2025 (52K), which itself reflected the change versus the month before.
The improvement suggests that hiring activity strengthened into the new year, with the three-month-on-three-month employment change pointing to a firmer UK labour market than in late 2025. Investors and policymakers will be watching upcoming releases closely to see whether this faster pace of job growth can be sustained.
