The UK unemployment rate rose slightly to 5 per cent in Q1 2026 from 4.9 per cent in the three months to February—a rise of 0.5 percentage point (pp) YoY.
The UK employment rate was largely unchanged YoY, but rose by 0.1 pp quarter on quarter (QoQ) to 75 per cent in Q1 2026.
The estimated UK economic inactivity rate in the quarter decreased by 0.4 pp YoY, but increased by 0.1 pp QoQ to 20.9 per cent.