Local employment news

National employment news

• UK unemployment remained elevated:

The UK unemployment rate was estimated at 4.7% in June to August 2026, 0.1pp lower than the past quarter and 01.pp lower from the past year.

• Payroll employment continued to weaken:

UK payrolled employment fell by 111,000 (0.4%) in the year to August 2026, whilst on the month remained relatively unchanged, indicating continued softening in employer demand even as the overall employment rate edged upwards. The September estimate was 30.3 million, down 66,000 (0.2%) year-on-year but up 13,000 on the month.

• Labour market conditions remain flat rather than contracting sharply:

National statistics indicated slight improvements in employment and unemployment rates. However these were offset by decreasing payroll numbers and declining vacancies, suggesting labour market stagnation rather than growth. 

• Businesses increasingly linked weaker recruitment activity to rising employment costs:

National labour market commentary highlighted concerns from employers, particularly SME’s, stating that higher labour costs were reducing their intentions of hiring, contributing to falling vacancies.

• Youth unemployment continues to be a concern:

In June to August 2026, 715,000 people aged 16 to 24 were unemployed, 54,000 more than a year earlier, though has decreased by 36,000 from last report. The youth unemployment rate was 15.6%, compared with 14.6% a year earlier. Young people are continuing to experience elevated rates of unemployment than those of older age groups.

Local employment news

• Ashfield’s total population count is as of mid-2025 is around 130,581 residents. The 5 year population change is +3.1%, broken down as those aged 0 to 15 (18.2%), those 16 to 64 (61.4%) and those 65 and over (20.4%).
• Total regional employment is around 55,436. Jobs grew by 4347 over the last 5 years and are projected to grow by 1100 over the next 5 years.
• Concerning educational attainment, 34.7% of Ashfield residents possess a Higher Education - NVQ4+ SCQF L7-9 (12.4% below the national average), and 20.3% hold a NVQ 3 - SCQF L6 (0.4% above the national average).
  The top 3 industries in 2026 are Human health and social work activities, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade.
• Ashfield's revised 2026 Labour Force figures show that we have 8.9 percent (or 5800 people), of working age seeking work. This is higher than other neighbouring local authorities as well as the national average of 4.7% (Nomis).
• As of 2025, Ashfield's average salary of £34,100 is lower than England's national average salary of £38,900.
• Ashfield's average weekly hours worked of 37.5 hours is the same as England's which is 37.5 hours per week.

These are occupation tables for Ashfield. Here you can see roles within Ashfield (1 Digit SOC) within table A, which displays jobs within each occupation, expected growth, and average annual salary. In Table B, occupations with a higher than the average salary or competitive wage compared to the national average are displayed. You can also see the current number of jobs within each role and the projected number of jobs in 2035.

Table A: Occupational breakdown of Ashfield

Source: LightCast

Table B: Top occupations by wages compared to national

Source: LightCast

Ashfield District Council's Business Support Team monitors economic intelligence from several sources.

These include:

• website: Midlands Engine Observatory - Latest Reports
• website: D2N2 Economy Dashboard
• website: Nottinghamshire County Council Employment Bulletin
• website: Nomis – Official Labour Market Statistics