Overview

• Employment rose to a record 24.3 million in May 2025, up 80,000 from April and 408,000 from a year earlier.
• The unemployment rate climbed to 6.5 percent and youth joblessness reached 21.6 percent.
• Permanent contracts grew to 16.42 million and self-employment to 5.223 million while temporary positions fell to 2.659 million.
• Jobseekers increased by 113,000 month-on-month even as inactivity among 15–64 year-olds fell by 320,000 year-on-year.
• Workers aged 50 and over accounted for much of the annual employment gains as younger cohorts faced declines.