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Gera Employment Index — UK Employment & Unemployment by Region
How strong is each region's labour market versus the UK? The Gera Employment Index answers that with one number per region, computed transparently from real ONS labour market employment and unemployment rates (December 2025 to February 2026).
Which UK region has the highest employment, and how do employment and unemployment vary by region?
As of December 2025 to February 2026 (ONS, published 21 April 2026), the UK employment rate is 75.0% and the unemployment rate 4.9%. The Gera Employment Index ranks South East highest at 104.6 (UK = 100) and North East lowest at 95.1, computed from real ONS regional rates. GeraJobs re-dates this monthly.
Gera Employment Index
Region-by-region UK labour-market health, UK = 100. Top: South East (104.6). Lowest: North East (95.1).
How this is calculatedUK regions ranked by the Gera Employment Index
| Region | Gera Employment Index | Employment rate | Unemployment rate | Inactivity rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South East | 104.6 | 78.6% | 3.9% | 18.1% |
| South West | 104.5 | 78.5% | 3.9% | 18.3% |
| East of England | 103.7 | 77.9% | 4.1% | 18.7% |
| Scotland | 99.8 | 74.0% | 4.1% | 22.7% |
| East Midlands | 99.5 | 75.1% | 5.5% | 20.3% |
| North West | 99.1 | 73.8% | 4.6% | 22.6% |
| Northern Ireland | 98.9 | 71.2% | 2.2% | 27.2% |
| Wales | 97.9 | 71.9% | 3.9% | 25.1% |
| West Midlands | 97.8 | 73.4% | 5.5% | 22.1% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 97.0 | 72.6% | 5.5% | 23.0% |
| London | 96.8 | 74.3% | 7.4% | 19.7% |
| North East | 95.1 | 71.3% | 6.1% | 24.1% |
Index = 100 + (regional employment rate − UK employment rate) − (regional unemployment rate − UK unemployment rate), in percentage points. UK employment 75.0%, unemployment 4.9%. Every figure is a real ONS estimate; nothing is modelled.
Compare any UK region's labour market
Pick a region to see its real ONS employment, unemployment and economic inactivity rates against the UK average, with its Gera Employment Index.
| Indicator | South East | UK | vs UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment rate (16–64) | 78.6% | 75.0% | +3.6pp |
| Unemployment rate (16+) | 3.9% | 4.9% | −1.0pp |
| Economic inactivity (16–64) | 18.1% | 21.0% | −2.9pp |
The Gera Employment Index for South East is 104.6 (UK = 100) — a stronger-than-UK labour market. That is 100 +3.6pp employment surplus minus −1.0pp unemployment gap.
Browse live jobs in South EastGera Employment Index — FAQ
- What is the Gera Employment Index?
- The Gera Employment Index is a regional labour-market health index computed by GeraJobs from real ONS figures. For each UK region it starts at 100 (the UK average), adds the region's employment-rate advantage over the UK and subtracts its unemployment-rate disadvantage, both in percentage points. A value of 100 means the region matches the UK; above 100 is a stronger labour market, below 100 is weaker. The full method is published on this page.
- Which UK region has the highest unemployment rate?
- London has the highest regional unemployment rate at 7.4%, while Northern Ireland has the lowest at 2.2% (ONS, December 2025 to February 2026). The UK average is 4.9%.
- Which UK region has the highest employment rate?
- South East has the highest employment rate at 78.6% (aged 16–64), against a UK average of 75.0% (ONS, December 2025 to February 2026). It also tops the Gera Employment Index at 104.6.
- Is the Gera Employment Index based on real data?
- Yes. Every input is a real published ONS estimate — the seasonally adjusted employment, unemployment and economic-inactivity rates by region for December 2025 to February 2026, from the ONS "Labour market in the regions of the UK: April 2026" bulletin (OGL v3.0). No figure is modelled or interpolated; the index is a transparent arithmetic combination you can reproduce from the same ONS table.
How the Gera Employment Index is calculated
For each UK region R, the index starts at 100 (the UK average), then adds the region's employment-rate advantage over the UK and subtracts its unemployment-rate disadvantage, both in percentage points: GEI = 100 + (employmentRate − UK employmentRate) − (unemploymentRate − UK unemploymentRate), to one decimal place. A region matching the UK's employment and unemployment rates scores 100.0; above 100 is a stronger labour market, below 100 is weaker. Both inputs are equally weighted percentage points, so the index is fully reproducible from the published ONS table — no hidden weights, no modelling. Economic inactivity is shown alongside for context but is not double-counted (higher inactivity already lowers the employment rate). Every input is a real published ONS estimate (Table 1 — headline Labour Force Survey indicators (seasonally adjusted), December 2025 to February 2026).
Get the Gera Employment Index when ONS refreshes the data
ONS publishes regional labour-market figures monthly. Save your email and we’ll send the refreshed regional employment index when ONS releases new data.
Related on GeraJobs
- Gera Pay Index — UK Salary by Region — how far above or below the UK each region pays.
- UK Salary by Occupation — median pay for every ONS occupation, with per-region figures.
- Browse jobs hiring now — live roles across the UK.
Source: ONS Labour market in the regions of the UK: April 2026, Table 1 — headline Labour Force Survey indicators (seasonally adjusted). Figures are seasonally adjusted, December 2025 to February 2026 reference period, released 21 April 2026. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The Gera Employment Index is computed by GeraJobs from these figures; no figure is modelled or interpolated.