UK unemployment has risen more than expected to a four-year high amid a weakening labour market ahead of chancellor Rachel Reeves’s autumn budget, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The figures revealed that the unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over rose to 5 per cent between July and September 2025 – the highest since the pandemic in 2021.

Data from HMRC also showed the number of workers on company payrolls fell by 180,000 (0.6 per cent) in the year to October, providing an additional indicator of a weakening job market. Read More