The Office for National Statistics has released its latest labour market overview, covering employment, unemployment, pay and vacancies across the UK.
The Office for National Statistics posted its February 2026 labour market bulletin on Tuesday, with ONS Director of Economic Statistics Liz McKeown providing comment on the figures. The release covers the headline indicators that policymakers, employers and economists watch most closely — employment, unemployment, economic inactivity, average weekly earnings and vacancies.
External commentary on the same data describes the labour market as cooling, with unemployment edging up and pay growth easing compared with earlier periods. The ONS has not itself characterised the direction of travel in the tweet, directing readers instead to the full published overview.
For Kent, the figures matter even though the bulletin contains no county-specific data. Local employers weighing up hiring decisions, jobseekers assessing their prospects, and councils planning workforce support programmes all draw on national labour market conditions as a baseline. Kent and Medway economic partnerships, local colleges and employment services are among the organisations that typically use ONS releases to shape skills and training plans.
The Bank of England also watches these figures closely — wage growth in particular feeds directly into decisions about interest rates, which in turn affect mortgage costs for Kent homeowners and borrowing costs for local businesses.
No Kent-specific statistics were included in the ONS announcement.
Source: @ONS
ONS Publishes February 2026 UK Labour Market Figures Quiz
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