UK Unemployment Rate steadies at 4.4% in the quarter to January as expected
|
- The UK Unemployment Rate stays at 4.4% in three months to January.
- The Claimant Count Change for Britain came in at 44.2K in January.
- GBP/USD remains below 1.3000 after mixed UK employment data.
The United Kingdom’s (UK) ILO Unemployment Rate stayed unchanged at 4.4% in the three months to January, data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on Thursday. The market consensus was for a 4.4% reading in the reported period.
Additional details of the report showed that the number of people claiming jobless benefits increased by 44.2K in February, compared with a gain of 2.8K in January, missing the expected 7.9K figure.
The Employment Change data for January came in at 144K versus December’s 107K.
Meanwhile, Average Earnings, excluding Bonus, in the UK rose 5.9% three months year-over-year (3M YoY) in January versus a 5.9% growth booked previously. Markets expected a 5.9% print.
Another measure of wage inflation, Average Earnings, including Bonus, advanced 5.8% in the same period after accelerating by a revised 6.1% in the quarter through December. The data surpassed the market forecast of 5.9%.
GBP/USD reaction to the UK employment report
GBP/USD holds lower ground on the release of the UK employment data. The pair is trading 0.02% lower on the day at 1.2985, as of writing.
(This story was corrected on March 20 at 07:09 GMT to say that "Additional details of the report showed that the number of people claiming jobless benefits increased by 44.2K in February, compared with a gain of 2.8K in January," not 22K)
British Pound PRICE Last 7 days
The table below shows the percentage change of British Pound (GBP) against listed major currencies last 7 days. British Pound was the strongest against the Japanese Yen.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.02% | -0.16% | 0.04% | -0.18% | -0.06% | -0.81% | -0.62% | |
| EUR | 0.02% | -0.14% | 0.06% | -0.17% | -0.04% | -0.77% | -0.60% | |
| GBP | 0.16% | 0.14% | 0.19% | -0.03% | 0.11% | -0.63% | -0.45% | |
| JPY | -0.04% | -0.06% | -0.19% | -0.26% | -0.11% | -0.86% | -0.65% | |
| CAD | 0.18% | 0.17% | 0.03% | 0.26% | 0.14% | -0.61% | -0.43% | |
| AUD | 0.06% | 0.04% | -0.11% | 0.11% | -0.14% | -0.73% | -0.50% | |
| NZD | 0.81% | 0.77% | 0.63% | 0.86% | 0.61% | 0.73% | 0.22% | |
| CHF | 0.62% | 0.60% | 0.45% | 0.65% | 0.43% | 0.50% | -0.22% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the British Pound from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent GBP (base)/USD (quote).
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers.