Unemployment rate in the UK 1971-2021, by gender

In the three months to November 2021 the unemployment rate for males in the United Kingdom was 4.2 percent, while for females it was 3.9 percent. The male unemployment rates seen in late 2020 were the highest since September 2015, while the rates for females reached heights last seen in Autumn 2016. During the provided time period, the unemployment rate for males peaked in January 1993 at 12.7 percent, while for females the unemployment rate was highest in April and May 1984 when it was 11.8 percent.

Unemployment and age

The unemployment rate for people in the United Kingdom is heavily associated with age. For people aged between 16 and 24 years of age for example, the unemployment rate was 14.3 percent in the three months to January 2021, compared with just 2.4 percent for over 65s. As with the overall unemployment rate, young men had a higher unemployment rate than women at 14.6 percent compared with 11.8 percent.

Unemployment highest in the capital

As of April 2021, the UK region with the highest unemployment rate was London, which had a rate of 6.5 percent. The region with the second-highest unemployment rate was North East England, at 5.9 percent, while Northern Ireland had the lowest unemployment rate at 3.1 percent.