UK employment increased further in the three months to December to set a fresh record, while joblessness remained unchanged, indicating the resilience of the labor market amid the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the general election. The number of employed rose 180,000 from the previous three months, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed on Tuesday, which exceeded the 145,000 growth economists had forecast. Job growth was mainly driven by quarterly increases for full-time workers by 203,000, which was the largest increase since March to May 2014, and for women by 150,000, which was the biggest gain since February to April 2014. The number of women working full-time increased by 150,000, marking the largest rise since November 2012 to January 2013.
The employment rate rose by 0.4 percentage points to a record high of 76.5 percent.
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.