Jobs gap in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Jobs gap was 3,936 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Jobs gap in United Kingdom, 1998–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 3,936 for jobs gap in 2025.
The figure is up 12.5% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, jobs gap in United Kingdom peaked at 5,203 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 3,119, in 2022.
United Kingdom ranks 10th of 70 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Jobs gap in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 4,356 | — |
| 1999 | 4,169 | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 4,052 | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 3,674 | -9.3% |
| 2002 | 3,839 | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 3,662 | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 3,479 | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 3,555 | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 3,789 | +6.6% |
| 2007 | 3,823 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 4,087 | +6.9% |
| 2009 | 4,819 | +17.9% |
| 2010 | 5,043 | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 5,078 | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 5,203 | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 4,976 | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 4,552 | -8.5% |
| 2015 | 4,265 | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 3,942 | -7.6% |
| 2017 | 3,685 | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 3,413 | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 3,150 | -7.7% |
| 2020 | 3,641 | +15.6% |
| 2021 | 3,650 | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 3,119 | -14.6% |
| 2023 | 3,269 | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 3,500 | +7.1% |
| 2025 | 3,936 | +12.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 3,936 is above the median for high income countries, which is 363.37, 10.8× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 3,936 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 379.35, 10.4× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4,262 | 4,169 | 4,356 | 2 |
| 2000s | 3,878 | 3,479 | 4,819 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,331 | 3,150 | 5,203 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,519 | 3,119 | 3,936 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More work & labour data for United Kingdom
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,956 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 35,770 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.93 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.07 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 111,361 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,223 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.91 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.47 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.4352 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is jobs gap in United Kingdom?
- Jobs gap in United Kingdom was 3,936 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest jobs gap recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 5,203 in 2012.
- What is the lowest jobs gap recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,119 in 2022.
- How does United Kingdom rank for jobs gap?
- United Kingdom ranks 10th out of 70 countries with data for 2025.
- Is jobs gap rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Jobs gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The jobs gap is defined as the sum of the unemployed, the potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.