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December 15, 2020UK LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, AUGUST 2020 TO OCTOBER 2020 
The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported today that the unemployment rate for the three-month period August 2020 to October 2020 averaged 4.9%, up 1.0 percentage points since the beginning of the year.
The UK employment rate among those aged 16-64 averaged 75.2% from August to October, down about 1.2 percentage point since the beginning of the year. Early estimates for November 2020 indicate that the number of payroll employees declined 2.7% compared to November 2019.
Despite easing of restrictions related to COVID-19 transmission, UK unemployment rate is rising while the employment rate is falling. Economic inactivity edged down 0.1 percentage point compared with August to October 2019. There have been recent increases in hours worked and job vacancies, but these remain well below pre-pandemic levels. Employees pay rates are also recovering.
The impact of COVID-19 is more apparent in falling employment and labour force in Canada and Nova Scotia for April 2020 and rebound and partial recovery from May to November 2020. In contrast, furloughed workers are still considered to be employed in the UK, which mutes the impact of COVID-19 on UK employment and labour force.
Sources: UK Office for National Statistics: Labour Market Overview
Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0287-02 Labour force characteristics by age group, monthly, seasonally adjusted
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