Employment: latest evidence and sources
Latest ONS labour-market release
Employment was 75.1% and unemployment was 4.9%.
The rates cover March to May 2026. Economic inactivity was 20.9%.
Published 21 July 2026. Labour Force Survey estimates are rolling three-month estimates and carry sampling uncertainty.
What changed?
Four measures, two reporting periods
- Employment rate
- 75.1%
- Annual change -0.2 points
- Unemployment rate
- 4.9%
- Annual change +0.2 points
- Inactivity rate
- 20.9%
- Annual change 0.0 points
- Vacancies
- 712,000
- April to June 2026
- Annual change -12,000
Labour-force rates: ten-year direction
Rolling three-month ONS estimates. Each line uses the same Labour Force Survey period; straight segments join published observations.
June 2016 to May 2026
Latest published values for May 2026: Employment: 75.1%; Unemployment: 4.9%; Inactivity: 20.9%
UK vacancies: ten-year direction
Rolling three-month ONS Vacancy Survey estimate. This is a separate employer survey and is not forced onto the Labour Force Survey clock.
July 2016 to June 2026
Latest published values for June 2026: Vacancies: 712,000
Evidence by series
Freshness and provenance for each labour-market series
The observation period and the date last checked are different. Each series keeps both.
Employment, unemployment and inactivity rates
Official data
- Observation period
- March to May 2026
- Publisher
- Office for National Statistics
- Last checked
- 6 Aug 2026, 17:34 UTC
- Published
- 21 Jul 2026
- Revision status
- Labour Force Survey estimates carry sampling uncertainty and may be revised in later releases.
- Important distinction
- These three rates use the same rolling three-month Labour Force Survey period.
Vacancies
Official data
- Observation period
- April to June 2026
- Publisher
- Office for National Statistics
- Last checked
- 6 Aug 2026, 17:34 UTC
- Published
- 21 Jul 2026
- Revision status
- Vacancy estimates come from a separate employer survey and may be revised.
- Important distinction
- The vacancies period is kept separate from the Labour Force Survey rates rather than blended into one date.
Why it matters
Employment, unemployment and inactivity describe different parts of the labour market. Vacancies come from a separate employer survey, so their period is shown separately rather than blended into one headline.
Explain these numbers
Labour Force Survey rates use rolling three-month periods and carry sampling uncertainty. Vacancy estimates use a separate business survey and have their own rolling period.
Workforce breakdowns withdrawn
The previous page mixed Labour Force Survey rates with public/private employment totals, public-sector categories and a hand-built annual trend. Those series remain unavailable until each has a named source and matching period.