The UK unemployment rate fell to 4.9% in the three months to February 2026, defying expectations that it would remain at the previous period’s 5.2%. This marks the lowest reading since the three months to August last year. Total unemployment fell by 60 thousand on the quarter to 1.780 million, driven by a decline in the number of people unemployed for up to six months. Compared with the same period last year, unemployment was up by 206 thousand, as all durations recorded increases. Meanwhile, total employment rose by 24 thousand to 34.328 million, pushing the employment rate up by 0.1 percentage points to 75.0%, attributed to an increase in full-time workers. The number of people holding second jobs decreased in the latest quarter to 1.273 million, accounting for 3.7% of those in employment. Lastly, the economic inactivity rate rose by 0.2 percentage points to 21.0%, with the number of inactive individuals increasing by 95 thousand to 9.116 million.
