Unemployment rate during each first minister's tenure
4 first ministers, ranked by how the unemployment rate changed from their first day in office, next to the United Kingdom over the same months. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | First minister | Country | In office | Total | vs UK | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lab Gordon Brown | England | 27 Jun 2007 – 11 May 2010 | +2.4 pp May 2007 → Apr 2010 | −0.2 pp UK +2.6 pp | +0.8 pp/yr | |
| 2 | DUP Peter Robinson | Northern Ireland | 5 Jun 2008 – 11 Jan 2016 | +1.9 pp May 2008 → Dec 2015 | +2.0 pp UK −0.1 pp | +0.3 pp/yr | |
| 3 | DUP Arlene Foster | Northern Ireland | 11 Jan 2020 – 17 Jun 2021 | +1.6 pp Dec 2019 → May 2021 | +0.5 pp UK +1.1 pp | +1.1 pp/yr | |
| 4 | SNP Humza Yousaf | Scotland | 29 Mar 2023 – 8 May 2024 | +1.3 pp Feb 2023 → Apr 2024 | +0.9 pp UK +0.4 pp | +1.1 pp/yr | |
| 5 | Lab Rhodri Morgan | Wales | 9 Feb 2000 – 10 Dec 2009 | +1.2 pp Jan 2000 → Nov 2009 | −0.7 pp UK +1.9 pp | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 6 | Lab Keir Starmer | England | 5 Jul 2024 – 20 Jul 2026 | +0.7 pp Jun 2024 → Jun 2026 | 0.0 pp UK +0.7 pp | +0.4 pp/yr | |
| 7 | SNP Alex Salmond | Scotland | 16 May 2007 – 20 Nov 2014 | +0.7 pp Apr 2007 → Oct 2014 | +0.3 pp UK +0.4 pp | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 8 | Con Rishi Sunak | England | 25 Oct 2022 – 5 Jul 2024 | +0.5 pp Sep 2022 → Jun 2024 | 0.0 pp UK +0.5 pp | +0.3 pp/yr | |
| 9 | SNP John Swinney | Scotland | 8 May 2024 – now | +0.4 pp Apr 2024 → Jul 2026 | −0.1 pp UK +0.5 pp | +0.2 pp/yr | |
| 10 | SF Michelle O'Neill | Northern Ireland | 3 Feb 2024 – now | +0.2 pp Jan 2024 → Jul 2026 | −0.6 pp UK +0.8 pp | +0.1 pp/yr |
Showing 10 of 24 tenures.
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last month complete before the first day in office ("from" marks a start that had to move because that period had no data, or because the period cut it); the United Kingdom is measured over the same months. Levels are per cent changes, rates are differences in pp; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. % of labour force · ONS Labour Force Survey, rolling three months dated at their last month, seasonally adjusted · nation data · as of Jul 2026.