Since Brexit, EU citizens need a visa to work in the UK unless they have status under the EU Settlement Scheme – Irish citizens are the exception. The National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour from April 2026, and a Skilled Worker visa usually requires a salary of at least £41,700. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply and which visa routes are open to you.
The United Kingdom has 69.6 million people. Its labour market figures come from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which uses slightly different age groups from Eurostat – so they cannot be compared directly with the EU averages we give for other countries.
Unemployment has been rising: from 3.8% in 2022 to 4.9% in 2025 (people aged 16 and over), and it was still 4.9% in May–July 2026. Young people are hit hardest – unemployment among 16–24-year-olds went up from 10.7% in 2022 to 15.0% in 2025. The employment rate is stable: 75.1% of people aged 16–64 had a job in 2025 and in May–July 2026. There were 702,000 vacancies in June–August 2026, broadly flat since the start of the year.
The biggest change for EU citizens: since the UK left the EU, you need a visa to work unless you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Irish citizens can still live and work in the UK without any permission. The working language is English.
Key figures: Eurostat (population on 1 January 2026; unemployment and employment rates 2025; minimum wages July 2026); for the United Kingdom – Office for National Statistics; for Liechtenstein – national statistics. Country information: EURES – Living and working conditions, public employment services and the official government websites listed under each country. Rules, thresholds and amounts can change – check the official sources before you move. Updated: October 2026.
EN 
CS
DE
ES
FR
HU
IT
PL
PT
РУ
SK
TR
УК
AR
中文