Unemployment Down To 2.12m

The unemployment rate continued to fall during March to May 2014 to reach 6.5%, the lowest since October to December 2008. There were 2.12m people unemployed, 121,000 fewer than December 2013 to February 2014.

The employment rate was 73.1% up from 71% on last year but higher than the pre-downturn peak of 73% for 2008. The number of employees increased by 552,000 to reach 25.83m. The number of self-employed people increased by 404,000 to 4.58m. The number of unpaid family workers increased by 13,000 to reach 117,000. The number of people on government supported training and employment schemes fell by 40,000 to 120,000.

Hours worked per week were 987m march to May 2014, up 14.1m from December to February and up 35m on a year earlier. People working full time worked on average 37.6 hours/week, part-time workers worked on average 16 hours/week. There was little change on a year earlier.

There were 33.05m workforce jobs in March 2014, an increase of 380,000 from December and 1.08m on a year earlier. Workforce jobs is a different concept from employment.

Average regular weekly earnings in May 2014 was £449/week and average total pay was £478/week (both before tax and deductions). Regular pay increased 0.7% over the year, total pay increased 0.3% over the year. Consumer inflation over the year to May 2014 was 1.5%.

Claimant Count figures show that for June 2014 there were 1.04m people claiming JSA, down 36,300 from May 2014 and 418,900 on the year. Claimant Count measures the number of people claiming benefits as a direct result of unemployment. Unemployment measures people without a job seeking work in previous four weeks and available to start in two weeks, and those out of work but have found a job and are waiting to start within two weeks.

There were 648,000 vacancies for April to June 2014, up 30,000 from January to March 2014 and 117,000 from last year.

Employment's General Trend Continues For Another Month

There was an increase in employment and an fall in unemployment and in the number of economically inactive people. The number of unemployed people in the period February to April 2014 was 2.16m, 161,000 fewer between February and April 2014 than between for November to January. The unemployment rate was 6.6% down from 7.2% for November to January and down by 7.8% on a year earlier.

There were 30.54m people, or 72.9%, in work, up 345,000 on the number for November 2013 to January 2014 and 780,000 more than a year earlier. There were also 8.82m economically inactive people (out of work but not seeking or available for work) 80,000 fewer than for November 2013 to January 2014.

Between February to April 2013 and February to April 2014 the number of employees increased by 457,000 to 25.75m. the number of self-employed people increased by 337,000 to 4.45m, the number of unpaid family workers increased by 22,000 to 127,000 and the number of people on Government supported schemes decreased by 37,000 to 120,000.

There were 1.58m people employed in the NHS, up 10,000, 1.07m people working in public administration, 1.52m people working in education and 423,000 employed in HM Forces and the police.

Estimates of nationality between January to March 2013 and January to March 2014 suggest the number of UK nationals working in the UK increased by 563,000 to reach 27.57m and the number of non-UK nationals working in the UK increased by 178,000 to reach 2.77m. The number of UK born people working in the UK increased by 447,000 to reach 25.77m and the number of non-UK born people working in the UK increased by 292,000 to reach 4.55m.

There were 33.05m workforce jobs (jobs filled which is different from the number of people employed because some people have more than one job) in March 2014 up 380,000 from December 2013 and 1.08m on a year earlier.

Average total pay increased by 0.7% over the year and average regular pay increased by 0.9%. Average total pay was £478/week before tax and average regular pay was £449/week.

There were 637,000 job vacancies (positions to be filled from outside the business or organisation) for March to May 2014. This was 39,000 up from December 2013 to February 2014, 116,000 up on a year earlier but 59,000 down on the pre-downturn peak of 696,000 for January to March 2008.

There were 4.25m people claiming key out of work benefits, the lowest figure since records began in 1999, down 390,000 from November 2012 and down 850,000 from the peak of 5.10m for February 2010.

The duration of unemployment varies and in recorded by the ONS. Some 1.03m people had been unemployed for up to six months, 345,000 people had been unemployed for between six and twelve months, 791 people had been unemployed for over a year, 430,000 people had been unemployed for over two years. The numbers in all of these categories has fallen over the most recent recorded period ie. November 2013 to January 2014 and over the last year.

Unemployment Continues To Fall

The number of people in employment continues to increase according to latest estimates from the ONS. Unemployment continues to fall.

Employment increased by 105,000 from August to October 2013 and increased by 459,000 over the year to 30.19m for November 2013 to January 2014. The August to October increase was due to an increase in self-employed people; the number of employed people actually fell over the same period. The employment rate for November to January was 72.3% up from 72% in August to October and 71.5% from the previous year. The employment rate was highest in the South East at 76.4% and lowest in the North East at 68.2%

Unemployment fell by 63,000 from August to October and by 191,000 over the year. The total number of the unemployed was 2.33m for November to January 2014. The unemployment rate was 7.2% for November to January from 7.4% in August to October 2013 and 7.8% from last year. The unemployment rate was highest in the North East at 9.5% and lowest in the South East at 5.2%.

The number of employees fell by 60,000 to 25.49m. The number of self-employed people increased by 211,000 to 4.46m. Unpaid family workers decreased in number by 7,000 to 108,000. The number of people on government supported training and employment programmes classified as employed decreased by 38,000 to 132,000.

There were 32.35m workforce jobs ie. jobs filled in the economy, in September 2013 an increase of 216,000 from June and 598,000 on the year. The largest increase in jobs was in professional, scientific and technical activities up 137,000 to 2.62m.

In January 2014, regular pay was 1.3% up over the year from November to January to £451/week and total pay was up 1.4% to £479/week.

Unemployment Continues To Fall Nationally

The number of unemployed people aged 16 or over fell by 125,000 from October to December to 2.34m and by 161,000 from a year earlier. The unemployment rate from October to December fell to 7.2%, 0.4 percentage points down from July to September 2013. There were 396,000 more people in employment.

The economic inactivity rate was 22.1% or 8.93 million economically inactive people aged 16-64, 23,000 fewer than between July and September.

Total pay (including bonuses) averaged £478/week, an increase of 1.1% (CPI=2% for same period). Regular pay averaged £450/week.

There were 32.35m workforce jobs in the economy in September 2013, an increase of 216,000 since June 2013 and 598,000 on a year earlier. Professional, scientific and technical was the sector that showed the largest increase in jobs between September 2012 and September 2013 and reached 2.62m.

At the regional level the employment rate was highest in the South East at 76.6% and lowest in the North East at 67.4%. The unemployment rate was highest in the North East at 10% and lowest in the South East at 5.1%. The North West reported the highest level of economic inactivity at 25.1% and lowest in the South East at 19.2%

The highest employment rate for the period October 2012 to September 2013 at local authority level was South Northamptonshire with 87.8% then Watford with 87.1%. The lowest rates were in Nottingham with 57.2% then Middlesbrough with 58.3% and Newcastle upon Tyne and Birmingham with 58.7%.

Birmingham had the highest unemployment rate at 16%, then Middlesbrough with 15%. The lowest rates were South Lakeland with 2.4% and Eden in Cumbria at 2.8%.

North East-South East Divide In Labour Market

The employment rate was highest in the South East with 75.1% and lowest in the North East with 66.1%. The unemployment rate was highest in the North East with 10.4% and lowest in the South East with 5.8%. Inactivity was highest in the North East with a rate of 26% and lowest in the South East with 19.7%. The claimant count was highest in the North East at 7.1% and lowest in the South East at 2.7%.

Nationally, the unemployment rate was 7.8% down 0.2% from December 2012 to February 2013 and 0.3% on a year earlier. There were 2.51m people unemployed, a fall of 57,000 from December 2012 to February 2013 and 72,000 on the year. Inactivity was up 0.2% to 22.5%. The number of young unemployed fell 20,000 to 959,000.

Total pay rose by 1.7% to £476/week and regular pay by 1% to £446/week compared with March to May 2012. Average weekly hours worked for March to May totalled 32 up 0.1 from December to February and a year earlier. The claimant count was 1.48m, down 117,700 on the year. The rate was 4.4% down 0.1% from May 2013.

There were 32.3m workforce jobs in March 2013, up 211,000 from December and 161,000 on the year. The biggest increase sectorally was in professional, scientific and technical jobs with an increase of 118,000 to 2.56m. There were 529,000 vacancies, up 24,000 from January to March and 56,000 on the year.