# Labour market, second quarter of 2025 (draft commentary)

The unemployment rate fell to 6.1% in the second quarter of 2025, from 6.3%
in the previous quarter. Youth unemployment declined to 16.8%, its lowest
level since 2019. The participation rate rose to 61.2%, and employment
reached 4.31 million, an increase of about 44,000 over the quarter.

Employment growth was concentrated in services, which added 38,000 jobs.
All figures for the second quarter are provisional and will be revised
with the next release.