Unemployment in UK increases to 4.9% in March-May period

The unemployment rate in the UK stood at 4.9% during the March-May period, up 0.2 percentage points from the same period last year, official figures showed on Tuesday.

The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) released labor market data covering the three-month period from March to May; the rate also remained unchanged from the three-month period covering February through April.

The number of unemployed people in the country was at 1.76 million as of the end of May, up 81,000 year-on-year.

The office also said payroled employees in the country fell by 85,000 or 0.3% between May 2025 and May 2026.

"However, it was largely unchanged on the month, increasing by 3,000 (0.0%) between April and May 2026," it added.

The office said annual growth in employees' average earnings was 3.4% for regular earnings (excluding bonuses) and 4.3% for total earnings (including bonuses).