West Midlands unemployment rate dips slightly as national levels stay highest in five years, latest figures show
Rates of unemployment in the West Midlands have dipped slightly as national wage growth has fallen back again, according to the latest figures.
Monthly job stats for the region published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also show a slight increase in the rate of employment and a drop in inactivity.
For the three months from September to November 2025, 73.7 per cent of 16 to 64 year olds in the West Midlands were in work, an increase of 0.5 per cent on the three months from June to August.
The percentage of people aged 16 or over who were unemployed was 5.9 per cent, down 0.3 per cent over the same period. The inactivity rate among 16 to 64 year olds was 21.5 per cent, a drop of 0.3 per cent over the same quarterly period.
There were a total of 2.953 million people in employment across the West Midlands - up 2,000 on the quarter and up 23,000 on the year, while 184,000 were unemployed, down 11,000 on the quarter and up 42,000 on the year.
Nationally, wage growth has fallen back once again while the unemployment rate has remained at the highest level for nearly five years.
