|

UK Unemployment Rate steadies at 4.3% in quarter to October vs. 4.3% expected

  • The UK Unemployment Rate stayed unchanged at 4.3% in three months to October.
  • The Claimant Count Change for Britain arrived at 0.3K in November.
  • GBP/USD remains pressured toward 1.2650 after mixed UK employment data.

The United Kingdom’s (UK) ILO Unemployment Rate stayed unchanged at 4.3% in the three months to October, the data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on Tuesday. The reading matched the market estimate of 4.3% in the reported period.

Additional details of the report showed that the number of people claiming jobless benefits climbed by only 0.3K in November, compared with a decrease of 10.9K in October, beating the expected 28.2K figure.

The Employment Change data for October came in at 173K versus September’s 253K.

Meanwhile, Average Earnings, excluding Bonus, in the UK grew by 5.2% 3M YoY in October versus a 4.9% raise in September. The market forecast was for a 5.0% increase.

Another measure of wage inflation, Average Earnings, including Bonus, advanced 5.2% in the same period after rising by 4.4% in the quarter through September. The data beat the estimated 4.6% growth.

GBP/USD reaction to the UK employment report

GBP/USD picks up fresh bids on the release of the UK employment data. The pair is trading 0.09% higher on the day at 1.2690, as of writing.\

British Pound PRICE Today

The table below shows the percentage change of British Pound (GBP) against listed major currencies today. British Pound was the strongest against the Australian Dollar.

 USDEURGBPJPYCADAUDNZDCHF
USD 0.06%-0.07%-0.03%0.08%0.28%0.23%0.16%
EUR-0.06% -0.13%-0.10%0.02%0.22%0.17%0.09%
GBP0.07%0.13% 0.06%0.15%0.34%0.30%0.23%
JPY0.03%0.10%-0.06% 0.10%0.30%0.24%0.19%
CAD-0.08%-0.02%-0.15%-0.10% 0.20%0.16%0.09%
AUD-0.28%-0.22%-0.34%-0.30%-0.20% -0.05%-0.13%
NZD-0.23%-0.17%-0.30%-0.24%-0.16%0.05% -0.07%
CHF-0.16%-0.09%-0.23%-0.19%-0.09%0.13%0.07% 

The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the British Pound from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent GBP (base)/USD (quote).

Author

Dhwani Mehta

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

More from Dhwani Mehta
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD softens below 1.1750 after Fed Minutes

The EUR/USD pair attracts some sellers near 1.1745 during the early Asian session on Wednesday. The US Dollar edges higher against the Euro after the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's December meeting. The US Initial Jobless Claims report will be released later in the day. Trading volumes are expected to remain thin ahead of the New Year holidays.

GBP/USD trades flat above 1.3450 amid thin trading volume

The GBP/USD pair holds steady around 1.3465 during the early Asian trading hours on Wednesday. However, the Bank of England guided that monetary policy will remain on a gradual downward path, which might underpin the Cable against the US Dollar. Financial markets are expected to trade on thin volumes as traders prepare for the New Year holiday.

Gold attempts another run toward $4,400 on final day of 2025

Gold price makes another attempt toward $4,400 in Asian trading on Tuesday, keeping the recovery mode intact following Monday's over 4% correction. The bright metal seems to cheer upbeat Chinese NBS and RatingDog Manufacturing and Services PMI data for December. 

Top Crypto Gainers: Canton, Four, Plasma rally secures double-digit gains

Canton, Four, and Plasma are the top-performing crypto assets over the last 24 hours with double-digit gains. The extended recovery in Canton is gaining traction while Four and Plasma target a decisive close above the 200-period Exponential Moving Average on the 4-hour chart.

Economic outlook 2026-2027 in advanced countries: Solidity test

After a year marked by global economic resilience and ending on a note of optimism, 2026 looks promising and could be a year of solid economic performance. In our baseline scenario, we expect most of the supportive factors at work in 2025 to continue to play a role in 2026.

Crypto market outlook for 2026

Year 2025 was volatile, as crypto often is.  Among positive catalysts were favourable regulatory changes in the U.S., rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DAT), adoption of AI and tokenization of Real-World-Assets (RWA).