Jobs · GBPUsual scheduleLive week from the calendar

UK labour market report: release time and what it moves

Office for National Statistics (ONS). Usually a Tuesday around the middle of the month, usually at 2:00 AM New York time. What it is, what traders watch and how the WhitePips rules treat trading around it.

  • Monthlyhow often
  • 2:00 AMNew York time
  • Red or Amberusual calendar rating

UK jobs on this week's calendar

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Times in your own time zone and in New York; releases already out are dimmed. Red is high impact, Amber medium; the ratings are the calendar feed's.

JobsGBP

What UK jobs is

UK labour market report

The ONS labour market report brings the UK's unemployment rate, the claimant count and average earnings together in one release. Wage growth is the part the Bank of England watches most, because it drives services inflation.

The unemployment rate covers a three-month period, so the earnings figures and the claimant count often move the pound more than the rate itself.

When it comes out

Published by
Office for National Statistics (ONS), Labour market overview
How often
Monthly
Usual day
Usually a Tuesday around the middle of the month
Usual time
2:00 AM New York; 7:00 AM UK time: 06:00 UTC in British summer time, 07:00 UTC in winter
On the calendar as
Claimant Count Change, Average Earnings Index 3m/y, Unemployment Rate
Usual rating
Red or Amber

What traders watch

Average earnings

Wage growth, the main worry for the Bank of England.

The unemployment rate

Against the forecast.

The claimant count

The most recent month's change in people claiming benefits.

On MetaTrader 5Pip value, lots and commission

Symbols UK jobs moves

The WhitePips symbols that usually react most to UK jobs. Each page has the pip or point value, a lot-size example and the commission on every plan.

GBPUSDBritish pound / US dollarEURGBPEuro / British poundGBPJPYBritish pound / Japanese yenGBPAUDBritish pound / Australian dollarUK100UK 100

Futures on Volumetrica: 6BBritish pound

Trading Rules, section 11In the rules' own words

Trading UK jobs at WhitePips

CFD plans Every plan, every stage

News trading is permitted on every CFD plan. You may open, hold and close positions before, during and after economic releases on every CFD plan, in the evaluation and once funded. There is no restricted window around a release on a CFD account, and no profit is removed because a trade was placed around news.

News straddling is not permitted. On every CFD plan, you may not open straddled, offsetting or hedged exposure on the same or correlated instruments within 15 minutes before or after a scheduled Red or Amber (high or medium impact) economic event, a company earnings release, or a major geopolitical announcement, where the purpose is to capture the volatility of the event rather than to take a view on its outcome. Placing a buy and a sell (or a buy stop and a sell stop) on the same instrument, or opposite positions on correlated instruments such as EURUSD and USDCHF, so that whichever way the price jumps one side profits, is straddling. A single position, or positions in one direction, taken on your own view of the release is not.

Trading Rules, sections 11.1 and 11.2. Each straddle is detected and referred to the risk desk, never penalised automatically.

Futures plans One Step funded, Instant

Futures plans. On the futures plans news trading is permitted during the One Step evaluation. On a funded futures account (One Step funded and Instant) no trade may be opened or closed from two minutes before to two minutes after a high-impact release; a position opened before the window may be held through it. Profit from such a trade is removed and the loss stays. The first and second violations are warnings, and the third is referred for compliance review. A news trading violation never ends an account automatically. The releases are those marked as high impact in the economic calendar shown in the dashboard or notified to you.

Trading Rules, section 11.4.

CFD plans: no straddling1:45 AM to 2:15 AM New YorkFunded futures: no trade opened or closed1:58 AM to 2:02 AMUK jobs 2:00 AM
−20 min−15−2+2+15+20 min
A single position taken on your own view, before or after the release, is fine on every CFD plan. On a funded futures account a position opened before the two-minute window may be held through it.

Section 11 of the Trading Rules News trading, explained

QuestionsShort answers

UK jobs: questions

What time is UK jobs released?

Usually at 2:00 AM New York time: 7:00 AM UK time: 06:00 UTC in British summer time, 07:00 UTC in winter. Usually a Tuesday around the middle of the month.

How often is UK jobs released?

Monthly. Usually a Tuesday around the middle of the month. The exact dates are set by the Office for National Statistics (ONS); the dashboard's economic calendar shows the coming week.

Can I trade UK jobs on a WhitePips account?

On every CFD plan, yes: news trading is allowed in the evaluation and once funded. What is not allowed is straddling, opening both directions (or offsetting positions on correlated instruments) within 15 minutes either side of a Red or Amber release to catch the spike; the risk desk reviews it. On a funded futures account, no trade may be opened or closed from two minutes before to two minutes after a high-impact release.

Which markets move most on UK jobs?

On the WhitePips platforms: GBPUSD, EURGBP, GBPJPY, GBPAUD, UK100, and on futures 6B.

Why do UK wages matter so much?

Wages are the biggest cost for service businesses, and services inflation is what keeps UK inflation above target. Faster wage growth makes a Bank of England cut less likely.

CFDs and futuresNo time limit

Put the numbers to work

Every plan, size and price, with the rules printed before you buy. News trading is allowed on every CFD plan.

See the plansTrading calculator