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UK unemployment has remained at its highest rate in five years, according to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The unemployment rate rose to 5.2% in the three months to January. Before last month, this level had not been recorded since the three months to January 2021.
Increases during the last three months were driven by young people aged 18 to 24, where the rate rose to 14.5%. The number of people in this age group out of work and not in full-time education increased to 19.2%, the highest rate since 2014.
The highest employment rate in the UK was in the South West (78.8%), while the lowest was in the North East (70.1%). The highest unemployment rate was in London (7.9%), while the lowest was in Northern Ireland (2.2%).
Annual growth in employees’ average earnings in Great Britain was 3.8% for regular earnings and 3.9% for total earnings over the period.
ONS director of Economic Statistics, Liz McKeown, said: “Labour market conditions were little changed at the start of the year. The number of workers on payroll rose slightly in the latest month but, overall, the recent picture has been broadly flat.
“Unemployment remains at the rate reported last month, up on the quarter and the year, while the number of vacancies remains largely stable, with declines among smaller firms being offset by rises among larger ones.”
She added: “Regular wage growth is at its lowest rate in more than five years, with pay growth in both the private and public sectors continuing to ease.”
