UK private sector employment
UK private sector employment stood at 28,271 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 Q1 1999 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private sector employment | 28,271 | 28,215 | 28,121 | 28,039 | 28,061 | 27,872 | 27,788 | 27,661 | 27,493 | 27,228 | |
| Public sector share of all employment | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18.1 | 18 | 18.1 | 18.1 | 18.1 | 18.1 | 18.3 | |
| Private sector share of all employment | 82 | 82 | 82 | 81.9 | 82 | 81.9 | 81.9 | 81.9 | 81.9 | 81.7 |
Understanding UK private sector employment
This series measures the total number of individuals working in the United Kingdom whose primary employment is funded and managed outside the direct control of government bodies. It includes corporate entities, partnerships, non-profit institutions, and sole traders, encompassing both employees on company payrolls and self-employed contractors. General government administration, state-run schools, and publicly funded health services are strictly excluded from this category and allocated instead to public sector tallies.
When evaluating these figures, analysts must account for periodic reclassifications of corporate entities between public and private ownership, which can cause sudden step-changes in the series without any underlying hiring or firing. Comparing consecutive quarters demands caution due to seasonal hiring waves in commercial retail and hospitality, making year-on-year comparisons more reliable for spotting structural shifts. A key pitfall is treating this metric as interchangeable with corporate profit indicators, as staffing levels often lag changes in business revenue.
Frequently asked questions
- How are privatised utilities classified in this series?
- Once an enterprise is sold into corporate ownership and government loses controlling stake, its workforce shifts into this private category.
- Does this metric capture freelance contractors?
- Yes, self-employed individuals operating outside government bodies are included alongside corporate employees.
- What causes sudden jumps in the series outside of hiring?
- Reclassifications of large institutional bodies between the public and private sectors frequently create artificial breaks in the historical path.