Unemployment in UK at 4.4% in May

LONDON: The unemployment rate in the UK as of May was at 4.4%, the Office for National Statistics (Ons) revealed on Thursday.

The unemployment rate was stable from April but up by 0.4 percentage point from May 2023.

"The unemployment rate is up on the quarter and up on the year, and above pre-pandemic rates," it added.

The number of employed people in the country was up by 265,000 year-on-year in May and the employment rate was at 74.4% in May, below estimates.

"The UK economic inactivity rate for people aged 16 to 64 years was estimated at 22.1% in March to May 2024, above estimates of a year ago, but decreased in the latest quarter," it said.

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