Labour market overview, UK: April 2026

Estimates for payrolled employees in the UK fell by 74,000 (0.2%) between February 2025 and February 2026, and decreased by 6,000 (0.0%) between January and February 2026. This is based on administrative data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). When looking at December 2025 to February 2026, the period comparable with our Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates, the number of payrolled employees fell by 87,000 (0.3%) over the year and by 9,000 (0.0%) over the quarter. The early estimate of payrolled employees for March 2026 decreased by 65,000 (0.2%) on the year, and by 11,000 (0.0%) on the month, to 30.3 million. The ... (full story)