Unemployment
This coverage explores unemployment trends and their implications for the UK retail industry, providing analysis of labour market data, policy changes, and regional employment patterns. Reporting highlights how shifts in unemployment rates affect consumer spending, retail recruitment, operational planning, and workforce strategy — offering insights for executives, managers, and HR professionals navigating staffing challenges and responding to economic pressures.
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Aug- 2025 -13 AugustEconomy
Number of retail job vacancies lower than pre-pandemic, ONS finds
The number of job vacancies in the wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles category fell by 10,000 in Q2, the highest volume decrease of any category, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This category also has 37,000 fewer vacancies than its…
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Sep- 2023 -12 SeptemberEconomy
Wage growth starts to outpace rate of inflation
Pay growth has caught up with the rate of inflation for the first time in nearly two years, as wages surged at a record rate in the last quarter, official figures have shown. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), earnings, excluding bonuses, rose by 7.8% between May and…
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May- 2023 -16 MayEconomy
Unemployment rises to 3.9%
The unemployment rate for January to March 2023 increased by 0.1 percentage points during the first quarter to 3.9% amid a surge in those not working due to ill health, according to the latest statistics from the Office For National Statistics (ONS). The ONS also found that the UK employment…
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Nov- 2022 -15 NovemberEconomy
Unemployment rate rises to 3.6%
The unemployment rate for July to September 2022 increased by 0.2% on the quarter to 3.6, according to the latest statistics from the ONS. The UK employment rate for July to September 2022 was 75.5%, largely unchanged from the previous quarter and 1.1% lower than before the coronavirus pandemic. Over…
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Oct- 2022 -11 OctoberEconomy
Unemployment at lowest level in 50 years as pay levels fall
The UK unemployment rate dropped to 75.5% for June to August 2022, down 0.3 percentage points from the previous quarter (March to May 2022), and this marks the lowest level of unemployment rates since December to February 1974. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), rising inflation has caused…
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Sep- 2022 -13 SeptemberEconomy
Unemployment falls to lowest level since 1974
Unemployment has fallen to its lowest level since 1974, currently sitting at 3.6% for the three months to July, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS also found that while unemployment fell there was also a decrease in the employment rate, while the…
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Jun- 2022 -14 JuneEconomy
UK unemployment rate hits almost 50-year low
The UK unemployment rate is close to a 50-year low point, having dropped by 0.2% to 3.8% for February to April 2022, and those unemployed for up to six months increased over this three-month period, marking the largest increase since late 2020. According to the Office for National Statistics, the…
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Feb- 2022 -15 FebruaryEconomy
UK labour market sees recovery as unemployment falls to 4.1%
The UK labour market has seen “continuing recovery” as the unemployment rate decreased by 0.2% on the quarter to 4.1%, and employment rates increased by 0.1% in November 2021 to January 2022 to 75.5%. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the ratio of vacancies to every 100 employee…
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Aug- 2021 -17 AugustEconomy
Unemployment falls to 4.7% as job vacancies hit record high
UK unemployment fell to 4.7% for the quarter to 30 June 2021, a drop of 0.2% when compared to the previous three month period. According to the ONS, this was coupled by a 0.3% rise in the UK employment rate to 75.1% in the same period, closing the gap with…
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Jan- 2021 -26 JanuaryCoronavirus
Unemployment rises 5% to 1.7m
The UK unemployment rate rose by 5% in the three months to November with over 1.7 million people now out of work, according to the latest figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Since February 2020, the number of payroll employees has fallen by 828,000, however, the ONS said…
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