Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Index, June 2026

June 2026 UK jobs report highlights:

• UK small businesses employed 4,159,700 people in May 2026.

• Small business employment increased by 1,900 jobs compared to April, a monthly growth rate of 0.05%.

• Employment increased in 12 of 13 sectors, with education seeing the fastest growth.

• Employment increased in all 4 UK nations, and in 8 of 9 regions of England.

• Job vacancies at small businesses decreased by 1,200 open positions in May—a monthly decline of 1.07%.

Small business employment: up by 1,900 jobs

Employment at UK small businesses with one to nine employees increased by 1,900 jobs in May compared to April—that’s 0.05% growth month-over-month. These businesses now employ 4,159,700 people. While employment grew across the UK, the increase was modest, with growth rates remaining shallow across most sectors and regions. See chart below.

The number of job vacancies at small businesses decreased by 1,200 open positions in May—a monthly decline of 1.07%. There are now 108,900 job vacancies at small businesses throughout the UK. See “Total Job Vacancies” tab in the chart above.

By sector: employment growth in 12 of 13 sectors

Small business employment in the UK increased in 12 of the 13 sectors covered by the Small Business Index. The education sector (SIC P) had the fastest growth (0.32%), adding 200 jobs. Second place went to health care and social work (SIC Q), which grew 0.16% and added 300 jobs. Growth was shallow across much of the rest of the index—several sectors saw no net change after rounding, including construction (SIC F), transport and storage (SIC H), and finance and insurance (SIC K).

On the other end, the real estate sector (SIC L) was the only sector to see declining employment, though at -0.01% it was effectively flat—decreasing by fewer than 50 jobs, with no net change after rounding.

In the table below, use the green buttons to see the number of jobs or open positions by sector.

Small business job vacancies declined in all 13 sectors (see “Job Vacancies” tab in table above). The fastest decline (-1.99%) was in the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector (SIC R).

By nation and region: employment growth across the UK

Small business employment increased in all four UK nations, with Northern Ireland seeing the fastest growth (0.18%) while England added the highest number of jobs (1,500). Growth was broad but shallow overall—Wales grew just 0.02% with no net change after rounding.

Within England, employment increased in eight of the nine regions. Yorkshire & The Humber had the fastest growth (0.10%) adding 300 jobs. The East Midlands and South West England added an additional 300 jobs each. The West Midlands was the only region to see declining employment in May, though at -0.01% it was effectively flat—registering no net change after rounding.

Use the green buttons on the map below to see the number of jobs or open positions at small businesses by nation and region.

The number of job vacancies at small businesses declined in all four UK nations, declining fastest in England (-1.08%), and in all nine regions of England, declining fastest in the South West (-1.62%).

More information

Get all the details from the interactive Small Business Index dashboard.

Media inquiries

Media contact details for QuickBooks in the UK can be found here on the QuickBooks UK website.

USA Index

The Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Index is also published monthly in the US. Get the latest small business employment insights for the US here. 

Canada Index

The Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Index is also published monthly in Canada. Get the latest small business employment insights for Canada here.

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