This week the national unemployment rate rose from 4.7% to 4.8%, driven “mostly by younger people”, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
In the East of England, the latest figures on youth unemployment show the number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work has risen by 13.6% over the past 10 years, from 66,000 in June-Aug 2015 to 75,000 in June-Aug 2025.
Danni Hewson, AJ Bell’s head of financial analysis, said the figures were creating “a clearer picture of a labour market that’s soft, with younger workers facing the biggest challenges”.
