Unemployment Up To 7.2% At 2.26m

The number of unemployed was up 232,000 to 2.26m in the 3 months to April and up 603,000 from last year. The unemployment rate was 0.7% up to 7.2% in the 3 months to April and 1.9% on a year earlier. The number of long-term unemployed was 515,000 in the 3 months to April, 54,000 more than in the 3 months to January. There were 695,000 unemployed 18-24 year olds in 3 months to April, up 74,000 from the 3 months to January. The claimant count in May was 1.54m or 4.8%, up 39,300 or 0.1% on the month and up 726,000 or 2.2% on the year. The number of people claiming key out of work benefits was 4.53m in November 2008.

The employment rate down to 73.3% in 3 months to April, 0.8% down from 3 months to January and 1.5% down on the year. The number of employed people was down 271,000 to 29.1m on 3 months to January and 399,000 on year. 21.61m of the working population were in full-time employment. Of these, 6.02m were in public sector employment, up 15,000 from December 2008. In the private sector there were 23.09 people employed down 286,000 on December last year. There were 31.19m workforce jobs in March 2009 down 108,000 on the quarter and 455,000 on the year. The manufacturing sector showed the biggest decline at 78,000 jobs less than the last quarter.

Total working time over the 3 months to April came to 918.9m hours, down 16.8m on January. Average weekly hours worked in 3 months to April were 31.6. The number of inactive people of working age is up on 3 months ago. There were 7.89m in April. The economic inactivity rate was 20.8%, up 0.2% on 3 months to January.

Whole economy average earnings rose by 2.7% on the year. Earnings growth, excluding bonuses was down, but earnings growth, including bonuses, was up 0.8% on year.

In the 3 months to May 2009 there were 38,000 fewer vacancies than in February, down 230,000 on year, to 444,000. There were 1.7 vacancies for every 100 jobs. 302,000 people had become redundant, up 36,000 on quarter and 191,000 on year.