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Unemployment rate jumps to highest level since late 2020 ahead of budget

  • The Office for National Statistics reported UK unemployment rose to 5% in the three months to September, the highest since late 2020 and up from 4.8% last month ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves's budget.
  • It was April when measures from Ms Reeves's April budget—including minimum pay hikes and employer national insurance contributions—weighed on hiring amid Brexit and US trade war pressures.
  • HMRC experimental data showed a 32,000 decline in payrolled employment during October, while nearly 1.7m people claim unemployment benefits and average wage growth slowed to 4.6% in the third quarter.
  • The chancellor's second budget is in focus as Pat McFadden said, `Over 329,000 more people have moved into work this year already, but today's figures are exactly why we're stepping up our plan to get Britain working.`
  • Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics for the ONS, warned `Taken together, these figures point to a weakening labour market`, and slower private‑sector wage growth should bolster the case for a Bank of England rate cut next month.
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caithness-business.co.uk broke the news in on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
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