Two labour-market gaps: reading unemployment and employment together

Beyond the average

In 2025 unemployment was 11.3% for women and 6.8% for men: a 4.5 percentage-point gap among labour-force participants.

A wider employment gap

Employment rates were 66.4% for men and 32.1% for women, a 34.3-point gap. This uses the population aged 15 and over, a different denominator.

Why both measures matter

People outside the labour force may not count as unemployed. Low unemployment does not necessarily mean widespread employment.

Limits of interpretation

Age, education, caring responsibilities, region and occupation require further analysis. These indicators do not establish a single cause.

Unemployment since 2021

Unemployment fell from 12.0% in 2021 to 8.3% in 2025, a 3.7-point decline. The chart starts in 2021 because changes to survey definitions and design prevent a straightforward comparison with earlier years.

The employment gap follows a different path

The employment gap was 34.8 points in 2021 and 34.3 in 2025, narrowing by only 0.5 points. Falling overall unemployment therefore does not mean a similarly large reduction in the employment gap.

Method and calculations

Calculations use the published values shown in the data notes. A relative change divides the difference by the initial value; a percentage-point gap subtracts two rates. No adjustment for age, geography or other group characteristics has been applied. Different periods and denominators must be considered before making comparisons.

11.3 − 6.8 = 4.5; 66.4 − 32.1 = 34.3 (2025).

The next research step

Compare age, education and regional groups within the same year, then add reasons for labour-force non-participation and working hours. This can locate where gaps are concentrated; identifying the effect of a policy requires a separate research design.

Unemployment: 2014–2020 archive

The verified archive contains 7 observations for 2014–2020. It starts at 9.9 and ends at 13.1 %, an absolute difference of 3.2 %. Differences in percentage-valued indicators are percentage points, not percentage growth.

The observed minimum is 9.9 in 2014; the maximum is 13.7 in 2019. These are extremes within this archive, not all-time records. Intermediate years reveal whether the path was steady or uneven. The largest absolute year-to-year change is 2.8 in 2019. This subtraction describes movement, not its cause.

Every calendar year in the interval is included. 2014–2020 under the former methodology; not joined to the series after the 2021 methodological break. Read the unit, population coverage and vintage together. Co-movement with another indicator does not establish causality. All observations are available in the CSV download; the report links to the original sources.

Employment: 2014–2020 archive

The verified archive contains 7 observations for 2014–2020. It starts at 45.2 and ends at 42.7 %, an absolute difference of -2.5 %. Differences in percentage-valued indicators are percentage points, not percentage growth.

The observed minimum is 42.7 in 2020; the maximum is 47.3 in 2018. These are extremes within this archive, not all-time records. Intermediate years reveal whether the path was steady or uneven. The largest absolute year-to-year change is -2.9 in 2020. This subtraction describes movement, not its cause.

Every calendar year in the interval is included. 2014–2020 under the former methodology; not joined to the series after the 2021 methodological break. Read the unit, population coverage and vintage together. Co-movement with another indicator does not establish causality. All observations are available in the CSV download; the report links to the original sources.

Female employment: 2014–2020 archive

The verified archive contains 7 observations for 2014–2020. It starts at 26.3 and ends at 26.2 %, an absolute difference of -0.1 %. Differences in percentage-valued indicators are percentage points, not percentage growth.

The observed minimum is 26.2 in 2020; the maximum is 29.4 in 2018. These are extremes within this archive, not all-time records. Intermediate years reveal whether the path was steady or uneven. The largest absolute year-to-year change is -2.5 in 2020. This subtraction describes movement, not its cause.

Every calendar year in the interval is included. 2014–2020 under the former methodology; not joined to the series after the 2021 methodological break. Read the unit, population coverage and vintage together. Co-movement with another indicator does not establish causality. All observations are available in the CSV download; the report links to the original sources.

Women’s employment over time

The verified archive contains 5 observations for 2021–2025. It starts at 28 and ends at 32.1 %, an absolute difference of 4.1 %. Differences in percentage-valued indicators are percentage points, not percentage growth.

The observed minimum is 28 in 2021; the maximum is 32.5 in 2024. These are extremes within this archive, not all-time records. Intermediate years reveal whether the path was steady or uneven. The largest absolute year-to-year change is 2.4 in 2022. This subtraction describes movement, not its cause.

Every calendar year in the interval is included. Annual rates, ages 15+. Not joined with pre-2021 data because of the methodological break. Read the unit, population coverage and vintage together. Co-movement with another indicator does not establish causality. All observations are available in the CSV download; the report links to the original sources.