"The UK unemployment rate was estimated at 4.7pc, 0.8 percentage points higher than before the pandemic, but 0.2 percentage points lower than the previous quarter," the ONS said in a statement.

According to the statistics agency, the country has also seen the highest number of open vacancies since 2001.

"In May to July 2021, there were an estimated 953,000 job vacancies, a record high, having grown by 43.8% (290,000) compared with the previous quarter," the ONS said in a different release, adding that all sectors have recorded growth this quarter.

Like other countries, the UK suffered an economic downturn in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic accompanied by lockdowns as well as disruption of the global economy. Since then, however, the country's economy has been recovering as the vaccination drive expands and COVID-19 restrictions are gradually lifted.