The rate of UK unemployment has risen to 5% in the three months to September, showing signs the jobs market has weakened, according to new official figures.

It is the highest rate since the period covering December 2020 to February 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The increase in the unemployment rate was higher than expected, coming in above the 4.9% projected by many analysts ahead of the Budget on 26 November.

Average wage growth was 4.6% in the third quarter, down from 4.7% over the three months to August.

Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics for the ONS, said: “Taken together, these figures point to a weakening labour market.

“Meanwhile the unemployment rate is up in the latest quarter to a post pandemic high. The number of job vacancies, however, remains broadly unchanged.”

The ONS has said its unemployment rate should be treated with caution and it is taking additional steps to address concerns about the quality of the data.

The Bank of England has projected the unemployment rate is due to stay close to 5% for the next few years.

Responding to the latest statistics, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “Over 329,000 more people have moved into work this year already, but today’s figures are exactly why we’re stepping up our plan to get Britain working.”

However, criticising the government Mel Stride, the Conservative shadow chancellor of the Exchequer, said: “How can Labour keep claiming to be on the side of working people when on their watch there are fewer of them?”

In an early estimate, the number of people on company payrolls fell by 180,000 in the year to October, a drop of 0.6%. This was more than forecasters had expected.

The ONS data shows nearly 1.7m people are claiming unemployment benefits, a slight decrease on the figure from a year ago.

The statistics also show a difference between public sector wage growth, up 6.6%, compared to the private sector, which grew by 4.2%.

Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said public sector pay growth was “approaching a peak” as big pay rises from last year were not expected to continue because of government budget pressures.

She added that private sector pay growth was “anticipated to fall further with more people in the labour market seeking work, weakening workers’ bargaining power”.

Richard Carter, head of fixed interest research at Quilter Cheviot, said with the Budget two weeks away “many businesses will have shelved any major hiring plans”.

“Having already faced a significant rise in national insurance costs earlier in the year, they will likely be nervous to make any real commitments until they know whether further costs are heading their way,” he said.

Tina McKenzie, policy chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, said the increase in unemployment and drop in the number of people on payroll shows the government’s “complacent attitude to jobs and businesses”.

She said small businesses had been stopped from employing staff by “ever increasing regulation, litigation and tax”, and called for Rachel Reeves to “take action that backs jobs and growth”.

Broadly, the number of job vacancies have remained unchanged, with about 723,000 between August and October 2025.