Rising unemployment and widening inequalities May 19th, 2026 by Pauline Bucher Key Points: Background London’s unemployment rate has been rising for over two years. The headline, seasonally adjusted, Labour Force Survey rate was 7.4% in the three months to March 2026 (or 6.6% on a four-quarter moving average basis). Since early 2024, the rate has consistently remained above its pre-pandemic benchmark of just under 5%, indicating…
London’s workforce exposure to generative artificial intelligence April 30th, 2026 by Jeff Dwan-O Reilly Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is evolving quickly, with the potential to reshape London’s labour market. But its overall impact on employment remains uncertain. This supplement summaries the findings of recent GLA Economics research into the topic. Introduction How will artificial intelligence change London’s labour market? In a new GLA Economics Working Paper, ‘London’s workforce exposure…
London’s Economy Today editorial – April 2026 April 30th, 2026 by Daryl Rozario, Jubair Ahmed, Gordon Douglass, and Sixia Zhang The economic fallout from the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz continues Since the opening of hostilities between the US and Israel and Iran on 28 February the economic effects of this conflict have become more evident. Despite the announcement of a ceasefire on 7 April the Strait of Hormuz has remained severely restricted to…
The 2026 Spring Statement: Overview and Potential Implications for London March 26th, 2026 by Adam Yousef On 3rd March 2026 the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, presented an update on the UK’s economic performance amidst growing national and international uncertainty. Concurrently, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published an update of its Economic and Fiscal Outlook[1]. This supplement summarises the key announcements made and potential implications for London’s economy. Growth,…
Unemployment in key charts: Young Londoners hit hardest by labour market slowdown March 19th, 2026 by Pauline Bucher Background London’s unemployment rate rose to 7.5% in the last quarter of 2025 (non-seasonally adjusted). While London has historically seen higher unemployment than other parts of the United Kingdom, the gap was larger than usual (2.1 percentage points then in Q4 2025 compared to 0.5 percentage points in Q4 2019). That is despite the UK unemployment rate at the same time…
London’s Economy Today editorial – January 2026 January 29th, 2026 by Daryl Rozario, Jubair Ahmed, Gordon Douglass and Sixia Zhang UK inflation picks up in December The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published data on December’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation this month. This showed that CPI inflation rose by 3.4% in the 12 months to December 2025; up from 3.2% in November (Figure 1). This was higher than expected by most surveyed economists who…
The Inclusive Talent Strategy November 27th, 2025 by Kathryn Petrie, Principal Economist, Insights team, Skills and Employment Unit, GLA Last month the GLA and London Councils launched the Inclusive Talent Strategy (ITS). The ITS is a vital step in delivering the London Growth Plan. It aims to ensure that all Londoners can benefit from growth by building a skilled workforce and helping more people access high-quality jobs, while making it easier for employers to…
London’s Economy Today editorial – September 2025 September 25th, 2025 by Daryl Rozario, Gordon Douglass and Sixia Zhang UK sees no growth in July Data published this month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the UK economy didn’t grow in July (Figure 1). This followed growth of 0.4% in June although this lack of growth was what had been expected by surveyed economists. Figure 1: Contributions to monthly UK GDP…
London’s Economy Today editorial – May 2025 May 29th, 2025 by Daryl Rozario, Gordon Douglass, Jubair Ahmed, and Sixia Zhang UK sees strong GDP growth at the start of the year Data published this month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the UK economy grew strongly in the first quarter of 2025. Output increased by 0.7% in Q1 2025 after growing by 0.1% in Q4 2024 (Figure 1). This rate of growth…
Second job holders in London April 24th, 2025 by Yiqiao Chen More than 200,000 Londoners had more than one job in 2024 – about 4% of those in employment. Multiple job holding has become more common over the past decade, growing from 147,000 (3.6% of London’s workforce) in 2014 to 201,000 (4.3%) in 2024. Cost-of-living pressures, greater working flexibility, and the expansion of the gig economy…
London’s Economy Today editorial – April 2025 April 24th, 2025 by Daryl Rozario, Ali Ögcem, Gordon Douglass, Jubair Ahmed, and Sixia Zhang UK GDP grew strongly in February The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has this month published data for UK GDP growth in February. This data showed that UK output grew quite strongly in February, with GDP rising by 0.5% compared to a month earlier (Figure 1). This compares to zero growth in January, which was…
Autumn Budget 2024: Highlights and Implications for London November 28th, 2024 by Adam Yousef The Government’s Autumn 2024 Budget included several major fiscal changes, including a revision of the method by which national debt is measured for national accounting purposes, an upcoming rise in national insurance contributions for employers and commitments related to regional devolution. Some of these changes could significantly influence London’s economic trajectory. On October 30th 2024,…
Detailed employee jobs report – 2022 (summer 2024 update) July 31st, 2024 by Yiqiao Chen The total number of employee jobs in London rose steeply in 2022 as the capital recovered from the pandemic, adding 297,500 jobs (6%) in the year to reach 5,595,000. That was also well above the pandemic peak of 5,239,000 in 2019 (7%). This blog delves into the detailed data based on the ONS’ Business Register…
London’s Economy Today editorial – January 2024 January 25th, 2024 by Daryl Rozario, Gordon Douglass and Sixia Zhang UK inflation ticks up in December UK inflation surprisingly increased in December according to data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation ticked up to 4.0% in December 2023 from 3.9% in November (Figure 1). This was the first time the rate had increased since February 2023 and had…
The State of London v4 January 22nd, 2024 by Adam Yousef On 22 January 2024, the GLA’s City Intelligence Unit released the fourth version of its bi-annual State of London report – a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of London’s key economic and social outcomes. The report covers numerous datasets that update at different intervals, but most of the data presented reflect the state of affairs in…
The Local Skills Improvement Plan for London: Helping Londoners get into better jobs by ensuring training matches employer demand October 26th, 2023 by Monet Durieux Introduction Skills are important for the economy, individuals and employers. For the economy, education and skills are key drivers of economic growth and productivity. For individuals, people with higher level qualifications are more likely to be in work, earn higher wages, and enjoy greater job security. And finally for employers, hiring difficulties and skills gaps…
State of London report – June 2023 update July 4th, 2023 by Daryl Rozario On Monday the 26th of June, the City Intelligence Unit (CIU) published the third version of its bi-annual State of London report. This report represents arguably the most comprehensive and authoritative evidence base for the economic and social realities experienced by London as a whole and Londoners of different backgrounds across a broad set of…
London’s Economy Today editorial – May 2023 May 25th, 2023 by Daryl Rozario London accelerates ahead of UK in latest growth data Output growth in London was the fastest in the UK, according to the latest regional GDP figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). And while the data only run to Q3 2022, more recent figures suggest the capital continues to grow ahead of the rest…
