UK workforce jobs: financial and insurance activities
UK workforce jobs: financial and insurance activities stood at 1,124 thousands in Q2 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Jobs by industry and sector table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q2 1978 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Jobs by industry and sector table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce jobs by industry | |||||||||||
| K Financial and insurance activities | 1,124 | 1,112 | 1,100 | 1,110 | 1,139 | 1,141 | 1,176 | 1,151 | 1,147 | 1,143 | |
| R Arts, entertainment and recreation | 1,098 | 1,099 | 1,071 | 1,081 | 1,058 | 1,080 | 1,056 | 1,038 | 1,070 | 1,088 |
Understanding UK workforce jobs: financial and insurance activities
Banking, insurance, and auxiliary financial services across the United Kingdom contribute this specific count of jobs, combining employee positions and self-employed roles. Unlike broad market aggregates, this metric isolates institutions handling monetary intermediation, risk funding, and security brokering. The enumeration relies on business surveys capturing enterprise headcounts, separating primary financial hubs from routine back-office operations located elsewhere.
Interpreting these figures requires accounting for structural shifts towards automated trading and periodic corporate restructuring among major banking groups. Analysts should rely on year-on-year comparisons to bypass seasonal bonus cycles and regulatory reporting adjustments. A common pitfall is equating job fluctuations directly with sector output, given that productivity per worker in this industry shifts independently of headcount totals.
Frequently asked questions
- How are freelance consultants in banking classified?
- Self-employed individuals operating under contracts within financial institutions are included if they meet survey thresholds for active trading.
- Does this series cover central bank personnel?
- Personnel at monetary authorities fall within this specific industrial classification alongside commercial banking staff.
- Why might headcounts diverge from total sector wages?
- Remuneration frequently swings through performance bonuses that do not correlate directly with staff numbers.