Economy · Jobs & pay · 21 October 2026
ONS publishes UK unemployment data for June to August 2026
The Office for National Statistics has released labour market figures for the UK covering June to August 2026. According to House of Commons Library, the overall unemployment rate stood at 4.7%, down from 4.8% a year earlier. The next update is scheduled for 17 November 2026.
House of Commons Library has published details of the latest labour market statistics for the United Kingdom. The data covers the period from June to August 2026 and provides an overview of employment and unemployment levels across the country during that quarter.
Figures published with the announcement show that there were 1.71 million unemployed people in the UK between June and August 2026. This represents a decrease of 26,000 compared to the same period the previous year. The overall unemployment rate was recorded at 4.7%, which is lower than the 4.8% recorded a year earlier.
For young people aged 16 to 24, the statistics indicate that 715,000 were unemployed in the June to August 2026 period. This number increased by 54,000 compared to the year before. The unemployment rate for 16-to-24-year-olds stood at 15.6%, up from 14.6% in the same period a year prior.
The next update to the Labour Market Statistics is scheduled for 17 November 2026. The announcement does not provide further commentary on the causes of these changes or specific regional breakdowns beyond the national totals provided.
Written by StreetOwl from House of Commons Library’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
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