UK unemployment shows surprise fall to 4.9% as pay growth drops to lowest in five years
ONS data for three months to February is not expected to alter Bank of England’s decision on interest ratesBusiness live – latest updatesUnemployment in the UK unexpectedly fell in the three months to February, according to official figures – but…
By · April 21, 2026 · 1 min read
This article was originally published by
The Guardian World
and is republished here under license.
ONS data for three months to February is not expected to alter Bank of England’s decision on interest rates
Unemployment in the UK unexpectedly fell in the three months to February, according to official figures – but the fallout from the conflict in the Middle East is expected to cause a rise in job cuts.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the rate of unemployment was 4.9% in the three months to February. This compares with 5.2% in the three months to January, a rate that economists had expected to also see in February.
Leave a Reply