Employment Change in United Kingdom

Employment Change measures the net change, in thousands of people, in the number of those aged 16 and over in work in the United Kingdom compared with the previous rolling quarter. It is published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) within the labour market statistics.

It comes from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the same labour market statistics release (LMS) that produces the unemployment rate. It is calculated as the difference in the number of people employed against the previous rolling quarter, seasonally adjusted.

It is one of the most closely watched UK employment gauges alongside the unemployment rate and the Claimant Count. Strong job creation supports the pound and expectations of tighter Bank of England policy.

It is a rolling quarterly figure released with roughly a two-month lag, seasonally adjusted and subject to revision; the reliability of the LFS has been dented by low survey response rates.