(MENAFN) The United Kingdom’s unemployment rate climbed to 4.7% between April and June 2025, according to figures released Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which noted: “This is above estimates of a year ago, and up in the latest quarter.”

Employment levels also took a hit, with the national employment rate slipping to 75.3% during the same three-month period, the ONS added.

The labour market showed consistent weakness across several indicators. Employee numbers fell by 149,000 (or 0.5%) from June 2024 to June 2025, and by 26,000 (0.1%) between May and June 2025. For the April to June quarter, employment declined by 110,000 (0.4%) year-on-year and by 66,000 (0.2%) over the quarter.

Early estimates suggest the downward trend has continued. In July 2025, the number of employees dropped by 164,000 (0.5%) year-on-year and by 8,000 (flat at 0.0%) month-on-month, bringing the total to 30.3 million.

However, there was a modest improvement in economic inactivity. The inactivity rate stood at 21% in the April to June period. As the ONS pointed out: “This is below estimates of a year ago, and down in the latest quarter.”

The fresh data underscores growing pressure on the UK labour market amid economic uncertainty and persistent structural challenges.

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