UK unemployment lowest since 2008
16 July 2014
UK unemployment has fallen to 6.5% in the three months to May, the lowest since the last quarter of 2008, figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today have shown.
Wed, 16 Jul 2014
UK unemployment has fallen to 6.5% in the three months to May, the lowest since the last quarter of 2008, figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today have shown.
For March to May 2014 there were 2.12m unemployed, 121,000 fewer than for December 2013 to February 2014 and 383,000 less than a year earlier.
Employment was up 254,000 compared with the previous quarter to reach a total of 30.64m.
Commenting on the figures, John Salt, director at totaljobs.com, said that the government “can take some credit for these figures”. He said this is down to initiatives such as the Department for Work and Pension’s appointment of a champion to support older workers, and new reforms to promote flexible working, coming into effect last month.
“However, youth unemployment continues to present a threat to the government’s record of falling unemployment. Whether the government decided to opt for a more radical European-style Youth Guarantee for jobs remains to be seen,” he added.
For March to May 2014, for people aged from 16 to 24, there were 3.77m people in work (including 829,000 full-time students with part-time jobs), and 817,000 unemployed people (including 283,000 full-time students looking for part-time work).
Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: “Today's figures show more people have the security of a job than ever before. Full employment is a key aim of our #LongTermEconomicPlan.”
The ONS added that more than 4.5m people were self-employed, the highest since records began in 1992, after an increase of 404,000 over the past year.
UK unemployment has fallen to 6.5% in the three months to May, the lowest since the last quarter of 2008, figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today have shown.
For March to May 2014 there were 2.12m unemployed, 121,000 fewer than for December 2013 to February 2014 and 383,000 less than a year earlier.
Employment was up 254,000 compared with the previous quarter to reach a total of 30.64m.
Commenting on the figures, John Salt, director at totaljobs.com, said that the government “can take some credit for these figures”. He said this is down to initiatives such as the Department for Work and Pension’s appointment of a champion to support older workers, and new reforms to promote flexible working, coming into effect last month.
“However, youth unemployment continues to present a threat to the government’s record of falling unemployment. Whether the government decided to opt for a more radical European-style Youth Guarantee for jobs remains to be seen,” he added.
For March to May 2014, for people aged from 16 to 24, there were 3.77m people in work (including 829,000 full-time students with part-time jobs), and 817,000 unemployed people (including 283,000 full-time students looking for part-time work).
Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: “Today's figures show more people have the security of a job than ever before. Full employment is a key aim of our #LongTermEconomicPlan.”
The ONS added that more than 4.5m people were self-employed, the highest since records began in 1992, after an increase of 404,000 over the past year.
