Unemployment in UK increases to 4.4% in December 2024

Unemployment in UK increases to 4.4% in December 2024

Number of unemployed people at 1.56M, according to official data

The unemployment rate in the UK increased to 4.4% in December 2024, up from 4.3% on a quarterly basis, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Tuesday.

The economic inactivity rate was at 21.5%, while the employment rate also increased to 74.9%, the ONS said.


The number of unemployed people was 1.56 million as of December, while the number of employed persons amounted to 33.85 million.


The ONS said that following decreases in the unemployment rate since late 2013, the unemployment rate increased during the pandemic.


From early 2021, it decreased to below pre-coronavirus rates in mid-2022 but the unemployment rate has been largely increasing since.

It was at 3.6% in mid-2022, 3.9 in December 2023 and 4.1% as of the beginning of 2024.