Unemployment in UK decreases to 4.9%

The UK unemployment rate was at 4.9% in the December 2025 to February 2026 period, down from 5.1% from the previous three-month period.

In contrast, the unemployment rate went up by 0.5 percentage points from the same three-month period one year ago, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) stated on Tuesday.

During around the last 20 months, the unemployment figures in the country showed the first quarterly decline.

The estimated UK employment rate also decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 75% over the same period.

It added: "The UK economic inactivity rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 21.0% in December 2025 to February 2026, compared with September to November 2025."