Tuesday, 20 October 2026 Updated 15 min ago
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Surprise drop in UK unemployment to 4.7%

ONS data shows rate down from 4.9% but number of job vacancies continues to shrink Business live – news updates Unemployment in the UK fell unexpectedly in…

Image accompanying the story: Surprise drop in UK unemployment to 4.7%
Image: Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images · via The Guardian

The Guardian reports: ONS data shows rate down from 4.9% but number of job vacancies continues to shrink Business live – news updates Unemployment in the UK fell unexpectedly in the three months to August, to 4.7% from 4.9%.

The Office for National Statistics figures, which provide a backdrop to the budget on 28 October, also showed that the number of payrolled employees rose by 13,000 between August and September, to 30.3m.

This business story centres on the United Kingdom. Names and organisations mentioned in the coverage include UK, ONS and Business.

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Key details

Location
United Kingdom · Europe
Reported by
The Guardian
First reported
Key names
UK, ONS, Business, Unemployment
Section
Business

Sources

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Read the full story at The Guardian

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