13/07/2005

Jobless figures continue to fall

The number of unemployed people in the UK is continuing to fall, but the employment rate has remained unchanged and the number of people claiming benefits has increased.

According to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the working age employment rate fell by 0.3% to 74.7% between March and May 2005. The unemployment rate remained unchanged from the previous quarter at 4.8%.

The number of people in employment fell by 72,000 to 28.57 million between March and May.

The number of unemployed people also dropped by 4,000 to 1.43 million during the same period.

However, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits increased to 864,900 in June, a rise of 8,800 from the previous month.

The ONS also reported an increase in the number of vacancies – 639,900, an increase of 3,000 from the previous quarter.

Earning, excluding bonuses, also fell in May, dropping to 4.1% from 4.6% the previous month.

Commenting on the figures, Employment and Welfare Reform Minister Margaret Hodge said: “Compared to this time last year, there are more people working, unemployment is broadly unchanged and there are fewer people claiming out-of-work benefits. However, it is a mixed picture, as the recent strong increases in employment have not shown through this quarter.

“Vacancies are high, redundancies remain very low and new unemployment claims are roughly flat. These are not figures usually associated with a weakening economy.”

(KMcA/GB)




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