Signal UK unemployment 4.4% in December 2024 to February 2025

Summary

According to the report, the UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over was estimated at 4.4% in December 2024 to February 2025. That is higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Vacancies also fell over the same period, reaching 781,000 in January to March 2025 and dropping below pre-pandemic levels for the first time since 2021. The report presents these labour market figures in the context of the chronic risk of skills shortages and mismatches. Its diagnosis is that digitisation, artificial intelligence and the shift to net zero are making some workers' skills obsolete, so they need retraining to stay in work. The report suggests that better matching skills to the economy's needs could lower unemployment and raise pay.