East of England Employment Rate

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

Last updated 19 Aug 2026HPI June 2026Rents July 2026Sold prices May 2026
Employment rate
78.3%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
3.5%
Economically active
Economic inactivity
18.8%
Aged 16-64
Resident population
6,571,030
ONS 2024
Apr 2026-Jun 2026 / ASHE 2025

East of England labour-market context

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

Resident population
6,571,030
ONS 2024
Median resident annual pay
£41,855
East of England
Median resident weekly pay
£805
Full-time employees
Employment rate
78.3%
Aged 16-64
Unemployment rate
3.5%
Economically active
House price affordability8.1x earnings

Average house price compared with resident median annual pay.

Rent affordability37% 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 August 2026

East of England’s labour market picture is relatively firm in the latest ONS and Nomis data. The region had a resident population of 6.57 million in 2024, giving a large base of households and workers.