Spotlight
Employment rate (aged 16 to 64, seasonally adjusted): %
UK: Aged 16-64
75.7 %
2022 JAN-MAR
- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022

Labour market overview, UK: May 2022
What's in the bulletin?
- The latest Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates for January to March 2022 show that over the quarter there was a decrease in the unemployment rate, while the employment and inactivity rates increased.
- The UK employment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points on the quarter to 75.7% but is still below pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels. The increase in the employment rate was driven by the movement of people aged 16 to 64 years from unemployment to employment. However, there was also a record-high movement of people from economic inactivity into employment. Total job-to-job moves also increased to a record high of 994,000, driven by resignations rather than dismissals, during the January to March 2022 period.
- The most timely estimate of payrolled employees for April 2022 shows a monthly increase, up 121,000 on the revised March 2022, to a record 29.5 million.

UK economy latest
A roundup of the latest data and analysis on the UK economy, business and jobs following Brexit and during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Time series related to Employment and employee types
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Employment rate (aged 16 to 64, seasonally adjusted): %
UK: Aged 16-64
75.7 % 2022 JAN-MAR- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022
-
Number of People in Employment (aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted):000s
UK: Aged 16 and over
32,569 000's 2022 JAN-MAR- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022
-
72.3 % 2022 JAN-MAR
- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022
-
Male employment rate (aged 16 to 64, seasonally adjusted): %
UK: Aged 16-64
79 % 2022 JAN-MAR- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022
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1,136 2022 FEB-APR
- Release date:
- 17 May 2022
- Next release:
- 14 June 2022
Datasets related to Employment and employee types
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A01: Summary of labour market statistics
Labour market statistics summary data tables.
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EMP13: Employment by industry
Employment by industry (Labour Force Survey). This table is updated four times a year in February, May, August and November.
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EMP04: Employment by occupation
This dataset has now been discontinued following a user consultation. However figures for employment by occupation, sourced from our Annual Population Survey are available on our NOMIS website.
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A08: Labour market status of disabled people
Labour market status (employment, unemployment and inactivity) of disabled people. This table is updated four times a year in February, May, August and November. These estimates are sourced from the Labour Force Survey, a survey of households.
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EMP06: Employment by country of birth and nationality
Employment levels and rates by country of birth and nationality. These estimates are usually updated in February, May, August and November.
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EMP13: Employment by industry
Employment by industry (Labour Force Survey). This table is updated four times a year in February, May, August and November.
Publications related to Employment and employee types
Statistical bulletins
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Labour market overview, UK: May 2022
Estimates of employment, unemployment, economic inactivity and other employment-related statistics for the UK.
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Labour market in the regions of the UK: May 2022
Regional, local authority and parliamentary constituency breakdowns of changes in UK employment, unemployment, economic inactivity and other related statistics.
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Employment in the UK: May 2022
Estimates of employment, unemployment and economic inactivity for the UK.
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Vacancies and jobs in the UK: May 2022
Estimates of the number of vacancies and jobs for the UK.
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Working and workless households in the UK: October to December 2021
The economic status of households in the UK and the people living in them, where at least one person is aged 16 to 64 years. Taken from the Labour Force Survey.
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Employees in the UK: provisional results 2020
Number of employees in the UK, full-time and part-time, by sector, industry, country and English region, from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES).
Articles
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) roundup
Catch up on the latest data and analysis related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on our economy and society.
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Technology intensity and homeworking in the UK
Recent trends and insights into technology as an enabler for homeworking. Analysis considers differences in technology usage across industries.
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Coronavirus and self-employment in the UK
An overview of self-employment across the UK, looking at the industrial, occupational, geographic and demographic characteristics of those who are self-employed.
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The commuting gap: men account for 65% of commutes lasting more than an hour
Discover differences between the commuting habits of men and women across the UK.
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Young people's career aspirations versus reality
What did you want to be when you grew up?
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One in eight young people without degrees work in graduate jobs
Analysis of the jobs and earnings of young non-graduates working in the UK.
Methodology related to Employment and employee types
Looking for local statistics?
A handy guide to let you know where to find local statistics.