East Midlands Employment Rate

Employment, unemployment and population indicators for reading East Midlands property prices and rents in wider labour-market context.

Last updated 5 Jul 2026HPI April 2026Rents May 2026Sold prices April 2026
Employment rate
75.0%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
5.5%
Economically active
Economic inactivity
20.5%
Aged 16-64
Resident population
5,063,164
ONS 2024
Feb 2026-Apr 2026 / ASHE 2025

East Midlands labour-market context

Employment data does not predict house prices by itself, but it helps frame affordability and local economic context.

Resident population
5,063,164
ONS 2024
Median resident annual pay
£37,482
East Midlands
Median resident weekly pay
£721
Full-time employees
Employment rate
75.0%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
5.5%
Economically active
House price affordability6.4x earnings

Average house price compared with resident median annual pay.

Rent affordability29% of monthly earnings

Average monthly rent compared with estimated monthly earnings.

Labour market rates are from the ONS Annual Population Survey profile shown by Nomis. Where the local APS unemployment value is suppressed, the ONS model-based unemployment estimate is used. Earnings are ONS ASHE resident-analysis median full-time employee earnings. Annual pay is annualised from weekly pay for display context.

Wages and employment commentary · Last updated July 2026

East Midlands had a resident population of 5.06 million in 2024. That gives the labour market a large base of workers and households, which matters when thinking about local demand for homes and the affordability pressures people face.