In the United Kingdom, the government organization that is responsible for compiling information about the UK unemployment rate across the country is the Office for National Statistics. The latest period for which specific UK unemployment information is available is the 12 month period ending in December 2009.
According to labor market information compiled by the Office for National Statistics, the worst UK unemployment rate was in Blaeneu Gwent, in Wales, which was at 14.8 percent. The next highest level of UK unemployment was found in the City of Kingston upon Hull, at 14.5 percent, and Sandwell in the West Midlands, at 14.8 percent.
As a whole, Scotland had the lowest level of UK unemployment. The lowest level of UK unemployment rate was in the Orkney Islands at 2.4 percent, followed closely by the Shetland Islands at 2.8 percent and Eden in Cumbria, which was also at 2.8 percent.
The lowest regional UK unemployment rate was found in the south east of the United Kingdom, with the highest regional levels of UK unemployment in the north east. The regional UK unemployment levels demonstrated the narrowest spread in the south west, a spread of just 4.9 percentage points.
In other words, although there is a disparity in the local UK unemployment rate of 12.4 percent, on a regional level, the UK unemployment levels only varied by 3.7 percentage rate.