The unemployment rate has increased again – to the highest level in nearly five years, according to official figures.
The jobless rate ticked up to 5.2% in December, the highest since the three months up to January 2021, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed.
The figure had stood at 4.1% when Labour took office in 2024, promising economic growth.
It means getting a job is even harder than before.
More out-of-work people are now actively looking for a job, while the number of unemployed people per job vacancy is at a new post-pandemic high, the ONS added.
Redundancies are also increasing, it said.
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