Unemployment rates in London for men and women (Dec 1992 - Dec 2025)
Last updated: March 2026
Next estimated update: May 2026
What does this indicator show?
This indicator shows the proportion of Londoners that are unemployed, split by sex.
What does it tell us?
London’s unemployment rate has increased sharply in the last few years - especially among men.
In December 2025, 7.7% of men in London were unemployed - meaning the unemployment rate has doubled for this group in just two years. 7.5% of women in London are unemployed.
The overall unemployment rate is now around the same as the COVID-19 pandemic peak, but remains lower than the peak during the financial crisis of around 10% (in 2011).
The unemployment gap
Over the past three decades, the gender split has become more even overall. In 1993 the unemployment rate was more than 50% higher amongst men compared to women, but by the late 2000s the numbers were broadly similar for both genders.
In December 2025, the unemployment rate for men is just 0.2 percentage points higher than for women.
What does unemployment mean?
The unemployment rate is the percentage of people that are able or willing to work but don’t currently have a job. It only includes those who are looking for a job or are able to start work soon, and doesn’t count those who are of working age and are ‘economically inactive’.
A person is ‘economically inactive’ when they aren’t looking for a job or able to start work, for example because they are retired, studying, have caring responsibilities, or are too sick to work.