Unemployment rates in London for men and women (Jul 1992 - Jul 2023)
The unemployment rate in London more than halved since its post-financial crisis peak in 2011 (10.1%) to 4.8% in 2023. 2021 saw it increase substantially to 6%, reaching levels not seen since 2015. This increase is likely the result of the slowdown of the economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Other factors, such as those put on furlough and the change in inactivity within the labour market, should also be considered. Unemployment rates have decreased since, to 4.8% in 2023.
Over the past three decades, the gender split of unemployment has become more even overall. In 1993 the unemployment rate was more than 40% higher for men compared to women, but by the early 2010s the numbers were broadly similar for both genders. Since 2011, the unemployment rate fell for both women (from 10.5% to 4.6% in 2019) and men (from 9.9% to 4.7% in 2019).
However, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on unemployment appears to have been larger for women than for men, as the percentage of unemployed women in 2021 jumped to a peak of 6.7% in 2021. By 2023, levels of unemployment dropped for both genders but with the gap that grew with the pandemic still present.