UK youth unemployment hits 11-year high

The Office for National Statistics said on May 19 that Britain’s labour market weakened further in its latest release, with youth unemployment rising to its highest level in more than a decade. The data showed the overall unemployment rate at 5.0% in January to March 2026, while early payroll estimates pointed to fewer people on company payrolls in April. Job vacancies also remained near their lowest level since 2021, adding to evidence of softer hiring. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) ### How high did youth unemployment rise? (ons.gov.uk) The House of Commons Library said the unemployment rate for 16-to-24-year-olds was 16.2% in January to March 2026, up from 14.2% a year earlier. It said 729,000 young people were unemployed, 110,000 more than a year before, making it the highest youth unemployment rate since 2015. The ONS said its Labour Force Survey-based figures should be treated with caution, noting that some volatility remains in estimates for granular breakdowns and that users should focus on longer-term movements. The agency said the latest survey estimates are based on interviews conducted from January to March 2026. (ons.gov.uk) ### What did the payroll data show? The ONS and HM Revenue and Customs said early estimates for April 2026 showed 30.2 million payrolled employees, down 0.7% from April 2025. That equated to 210,000 fewer employees than a year earlier. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The same release said payrolled employment fell by 100,000 from March to April 2026, though April figures are provisional and likely to be revised next month. The ONS said early months in the tax year typically carry greater uncertainty and have received larger-than-average upward revisions in recent years. (ons.gov.uk) ### Where were the biggest changes in jobs and pay? The ONS said the largest annual fall in payrolled employees was in wholesale and retail, where payrolls dropped by 76,000. (ons.gov.uk) Health and social work recorded the largest increase, with 24,000 more employees than a year earlier. Median monthly pay still rose, but at a slower pace than in earlier periods. The ONS said median monthly pay in April 2026 was up 4.9% from a year earlier, with the fastest annual growth in health and social work at 6.8% and the slowest in finance and insurance at 3.1%. (ons.gov.uk) ### What happened to vacancies? The ONS said vacancies had fallen to their lowest level since early 2021. In its April release, the agency said vacancies dropped by 29,000 on the quarter to 711,000, the lowest since February to April 2021; by May, outside commentary on the latest release described vacancies at 705,000 after a further quarterly decline. (ons.gov.uk) Channel 4 News said the combination of rising unemployment, falling vacancies and slower wage growth pointed to a tougher jobs market for younger workers. (ons.gov.uk) That characterization matched the direction of the official data, though the ONS itself did not offer a broader judgment beyond the published figures. ### What comes next in the official data? The ONS said its next labour market release is due on June 18, 2026. The next update will show whether the provisional April payroll decline is revised and whether youth unemployment and vacancies continue to deteriorate. (ons.gov.uk 1) (ons.gov.uk 2) (channel4.com)