Unemployment rate by London borough (2023 Q2 and 2024 Q2)
Last updated: December 2024
Next update: February 2025
What does this indicator show?
A person is considered ‘unemployed’ if they are out of work, but looking for or available to work. This indicator shows the unemployment rate - the proportion of economically active people (that is those either employed or unemployed) age 16+ who are unemployed - in each London borough.
What does it tell us?
The unemployment rate varies across London boroughs with the highest rates in 2024 Q2 around 3 percentage points higher than the lowest. Barking and Dagenham (6.7%), and Camden (6.6%) contrast with Waltham Forest (3.7%) and Merton (3.8%).
How this has changed in the last year
Compared to the previous year, most boroughs saw increases, some quite large. Camden, Westminster, Islington, and Wandsworth all saw their unemployment rates increase by around 2 percentage points. A few boroughs saw decreases, notably Waltham Forest, Brent and Ealing - all decreasing by more than 1.5 percentage points.
The figures presented here for the London boroughs are modelled estimates of unemployment for the 12 months to December of each year. The figure for the London average is based on responses to the Annual Population Survey.
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