Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of trends in the levels of gender disparities in the unemployment rate.

The unemployment rate in Jan-Mar 2026 was 5.0%. This has fallen by 0.2%pts on the quarter.

The unemployment rate for men in Jan-Mar 2026 was 5.3% and was 4.7% for women. The gender unemployment rate gap is 0.6%pts and has increased by 0.3%pts on the year.

The government is committed to tackling the challenges women face in the labour market, whether they want to find a job, return to work, or progress in work, regardless of their background or stage of life.  To support this commitment, the Government has appointed Mariella Frostrup as the Women’s Employment Ambassador, building on her work as the Menopause Employment Ambassador over the past 18 months.

The Department offers a range of employment support that women can benefit from. This includes the ‘Find a Job’ website, financial support through the Flexible Support Fund to help with interviews or starting work, and tailored, flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Alongside targeted job-search support, Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles which reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience.

Where appropriate, Work Coaches identify any skills gaps and signpost jobseekers to relevant training and provision, such as Skills Bootcamps, apprenticeships, sector-based work academy programmes, and free courses for jobs, as well as essential English, maths and digital skills.