Scoopfeeds — Intelligent news, curated.
UK unemployment rate falls to 4.9% and wages grow more than expected
top

UK unemployment rate falls to 4.9% and wages grow more than expected

The Guardian · Jun 18, 2026, 6:33 AM · Also reported by 1 other source

Key takeaways

  • Fears have grown that employers will lay off staff to cope with rising costs from the war in Iran.
  • Prefer the Guardian on GoogleUnemployment fell and wages increased in April, official figures showed, putting pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates despite a peace deal in the Middle East.
  • The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed unemployment slipped to 4.9% in the three months to April from 5% in the three months to March.

Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.

Fears have grown that employers will lay off staff to cope with rising costs from the war in Iran. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty View image in fullscreen Fears have grown that employers will lay off staff to cope with rising costs from the war in Iran. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty UK unemployment and employment statistics UK unemployment rate falls to 4.9% and wages grow more than expected Drop will put pressure on Bank of England to raise interest rates despite peace deal in Iran war

Prefer the Guardian on GoogleUnemployment fell and wages increased in April, official figures showed, putting pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates despite a peace deal in the Middle East.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed unemployment slipped to 4.9% in the three months to April from 5% in the three months to March.

Article preview — originally published by The Guardian. Full story at the source.
Read full story on The Guardian → More top stories

Also covered by

Aggregated and edited by the Scoop newsroom. We surface news from The Guardian alongside other reporting so you can compare coverage in one place. Editorial policy · Corrections · About Scoop