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Unemployment rate by London borough

Unemployment rate by London borough (2022 Q3 and 2023 Q3)

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 2023 Q4 nearly twice as high as the lowest. Hillingdon (7.0%), Barking and Dagenham (6.8%) and Tower Hamlets (6.3%) contrast with Hackney (3.8%), Southwark (3.9%), and Wandsworth (4.0%).

Compared to the previous year, most boroughs saw increases, some quite large - Hillingdon, Kensington and Chelsea, Bromley, Kingston upon Thames, Hackney, Bexley and Merton all saw increases of more than 2 percentage points. A few boroughs saw decreases, notably Hackney, Southwark, Brent, and Haringey - all decreasing by more than 1 percentage point.

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.

Want to know more?

If you want to explore this data in more depth, check the 'data source and notes' button on the above charts. This will tell you where the data comes from, where you may be able to dig deeper.