Women in London are bearing the brunt of job losses, official figures reveal.
They show 51,000 more women were unemployed at the end of last year, compared to the summer, as the jobless rate has spiralled in the capital to 7.6%, the highest in the country.
The figure for women is significantly higher than the jobless rise of 27,000 for men.
The gender divide in job losses raised concerns that women may be facing more discrimination in an increasingly tough labour market.
Penny East, chief executive at equality charity the Fawcett Society, told the London Standard: “We are not surprised to see women’s unemployment in London rising at a far sharper rate than men’s.
“In the last year, Fawcett has heard numerous examples of employers rolling back on previous commitments around equality and inclusion.
“Some workplaces are reducing flexible working options, others insisting on employees coming back into the office four or five days a week, and a wider reduction of inclusion and diversity initiatives.”
Responding to the data from the Office for National Statistics, Munira Wilson, Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham, added: “These figures are alarming.
“Any suggestion that discrimination is seeping back into the job market is very worrying and should be investigated by Government.
“Concerningly, we appear to be seeing the real consequences of Labour’s jobs tax, and it’s women who are disproportionately paying the price.”
The ONS data showed 132,000 women aged 16 to 64 were unemployed in the capital in the three months to August last year, or a rate of 5.4%, compared to 173,000 men with a rate of 6.7%.
By the end of the year, 183,000 women in this age group were officially jobless, with the rate having jumped to 7.5%, and 200,000 men with the rate being 7.7%.
The biggest rise in unemployment for women was in the run-up to Christmas, with a jump of 21,000 for the three months to December, compared to the quarterly figure a month earlier.
More and more young people in the capital in particular are struggling to avoid being jobless.
Thousands of posts have gone in retail, the hospitality sector and office administration as the AI revolution sweeps through the city.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has also been accused of destroying jobs with rises in National Insurance contributions for employers, combined with increases in the National Living Wage.
But Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “The (ONS) figures show there are 381,000 more people in work since the start of 2025, but we know there is more to do to get people into jobs.
“Our £1.5 billion drive to tackle youth unemployment is a key priority and this month we announced that we’ll make it easier for young people to find and secure an apprenticeship, which comes on top of our investment to create 50,000 new apprenticeships.”
