UK unemployment rate ticks up, wage growth eases
By Michele Maatouk
Date: Tuesday 10 Jun 2025
(Sharecast News) - The UK unemployment rate ticked up in the three months to April, while wage growth eased, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics.
The unemployment rate rose to 4.6% from 4.5% in January to March, marking the highest level since July 2021.
Meanwhile, growth in average weekly earnings excluding bonuses fell to 5.2% from 5.6%.
The data also showed that the early estimate of payrolled employees for May fell by 109,000 on the month and by 274,000 on the year to 30.2 million.
The estimated number of vacancies fell by 63,000 on the quarter to 736,000 in March to May 2025. This was the 35th consecutive quarterly decline, with quarterly falls seen in 14 out of the 18 industry sectors.
Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics, said: "There continues to be weakening in the labour market, with the number of people on payroll falling notably. Feedback from our vacancies survey suggests some firms may be holding back from recruiting new workers or replacing people when they move on.
"Our survey of businesses shows a stronger picture for Workforce Jobs, but this covers an earlier period, includes people with multiple jobs and can lag our other sources of labour market information.
"Earnings growth has slowed in both cash and real terms, though it remains strong by historic standards. Public sector pay is now growing at a higher rate than wages in the private sector."
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