Unemployment Rate (GBP) comes in at 4.9% against 4.6% consensus

The UK Unemployment Rate for July 2026 came in at 4.9%, matching the previous reading. This figure was higher than the consensus expectation of 4.6%, representing a 6.5% surprise versus the consensus.

Following the release, the British Pound saw varied movements against major currencies over the first 15 minutes. GBPUSD gained 4.9 pips, while GBPCAD rose 13 pips. GBPNZD and GBPJPY both advanced 11 pips. GBPAUD was up 2.9 pips, and GBPCHF edged up 0.6 pips. EURGBP declined 2.2 pips. These initial moves are generally smaller than the median 1-hour moves observed after past releases, which include 14 pips for GBPUSD, 14 pips for GBPCAD, 22 pips for GBPNZD, 15 pips for GBPJPY, 21 pips for GBPAUD, 12 pips for GBPCHF, and 8 pips for EURGBP.