The number of people unemployed in the UK fell by 8,000 to 2.47m in the three months to July, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The unemployment rate for the three month period stood at 7.8%, and redundancies in the three months to July reached 142,000, down 31,000 from the three months to April.

Kevin Green, the REC’s chief executive, says: “The fact that unemployment is down is good news and is another indication of some stability in the jobs market. This fits with the feedback from recruitment professionals in terms increasing hiring activity in a number of sectors.

“However, the overall outlook presents a mixed picture and there are major challenges facing specific groups of jobseekers — for example, young people looking to break into one of the most competitive labour markets in recent times. We need to build better bridges into the world of work and to drive a radical shake-up of the support and guidance currently being offered.”

The statistics revealed that there were 467,000 vacancies in the three month to August, down 14,000 from the three months to May, but up by 31,000 from 2009 figures for the period.

The figures also showed the claimant count – those out of work and receiving unemployment benefit – rose by 2,300 in August to 1.47m.

David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, says: “The government must reinforce its efforts to help the private sector create more jobs to offset the unavoidable cutbacks that are likely to occur in the public sector. Reducing the significant regulatory burden facing small and medium-sized businesses must be a key element in any successful economic strategy aimed at encouraging growth and job creation.”

The ONS figures also showed that average earnings increased by 1.5% in the year to July, compared with a rate of 1.3% the previous month.