Blogs

The UK labour market has remained flat with little movement in the headline employment, unemployment and inactivity rates over the last quarter.

Unemployment is close to a five-year high at 5.2%, as more people are actively looking for work, with the employment rate and economic inactivity rate down slightly on the quarter. Payrolled employment continues to fall, though seemingly at a slower rate. Analysis of the February 2026 Labour Market Statistics by IES Chief Executive, Naomi Clayton.

Analysis of the January 2026 Labour Market Statistics by IES Chief Executive, Naomi Clayton.

Nick Litsardopoulos takes an in-depth look at productivity, its relationship to pay and how it is measured, and identifies recommendations to help tackle the current economic stagnation.

Naomi Clayton takes an in-depth look at the newly published Keep Britain Working Review, including summarising the key findings and how the recommendations can best be implemented.

Amy Fox summarises the results of the interim JobsPlus pilot evaluation, including their significance in the context of the Get Britain Working White Paper. This blog is in advance of the webinar IES will be hosting in November to explore additional emerging results from the evaluation, and what it means for future policy and practice.

IES analysis of this month's Labour Market Statistics, published July 17th 2025.

Emily Kramers and Rosie Gloster reflect on newly published research by ReAct on the Restart Prime Provider Network, a collaboration of prime providers for the Restart programme, which offers tailored support to individuals who are out of work for six months or more.

Nick Litsardopoulos examines the dual impact of the increases in UK National Insurance Contribution (NIC) and the National Minimum Wage on the UK job market, and the possible consequences for both those in and out of employment.

With the UK government proposing to close overseas recruitment for health and social care workers, Seemanti Ghosh explores what this means for the UK’s care sector, and whether the labour market is prepared to absorb these changes without deepening existing workforce shortages.